Policing report: Victims 'asked to investigate crime themselves'

Victims of crime are being "encouraged" to investigate offences themselves, an inspection of police forces in England and Wales has found.

HM Inspectorate of Constabulary said criminal damage and car crime were "on the verge of being decriminalised" because forces had "almost given up".

In some cases victims were asked to check for CCTV or fingerprints.

The Association of Chief Police Officers said austerity meant forces had to set priorities.

www.bbc.co.uk...


I was wondering if anyone here, from England or other countries, have had issues when reporting crimes?

a reply to: moth115

Could you imagine that... lol

Call the police and tell them a crime has been commited - that you would like someone to come out and inspect the scene. In response, they're all just like, "nah, go ahead", as if you had asked them if they wanted to go get a bite to eat or something.

"nah, don't feel like it, but you go ahead, though."

it's like wtf. lol

a reply to: Bleeeeep

For a very long time, all they have been doing for many theft crimes, is issue you a crime ref number for your insurance company, often without even attending the crime scene. Quick record added to the system and cleared as completed, so it looks good as a solved crime on the stats!

They are all too busy these days issuing revenue generating tickets for traffic offences and covering for political pedos!
Actual police numbers have dropped and the numbers are made up with PCSO's, with limited authority and training. It's all a bloody mess and the entire police system needs an overhaul, and removal of any and all political interference. That's the only way we'll see a level playing field when it comes to "justice", and it'll also remove the opportunity for them to be selective when it comes to the government trying to cover up crimes by people in high places! I can dream!

a reply to: moth115

Yep,its happened to me-although I was not asked to investigate a crime which happened to me,rather one that I reported in progress.

I was driving past a house on my road and heard the burglar alarm going off-then I noticed a smashed window near the door.
So I drove home and phoned the cops straight away to inform them of a break in in progress.

The woman in the call center then asked me if I could go to the house with a torch,and shine it in the windows to see if there was anyone in there-I kid you not.

So I told her I would be happy to oblige if she would give me a garuantee that I would not be prosecuted if I got into a tussle with any crimminals who may be inside,and that the police would pay me for my service,and pay for any hospital treatment I required if I got seriously injured.

She said that she couldn't agree to that,so I informed her that as that was the case I would not be undertaking police work for free,as I am not a voluteer police officer.

The call ended,and no cops arrived at the house even though the alarm carried on for hours.
We later found out a break in had taken place,a few small items were stolen.

This was two years ago,in North Wales-and I was so shocked by the phone conversation that I wrote a letter about it to a few local newspapers-guess what?
None were printed..

a reply to: moth115

The Association of Chief Police Officers said austerity meant forces had to set priorities.

Meaning they can't afford to investigate crime any more--- for the little people.

If you're going to deputize everyone, at least give them badges and a gun.

Oh, right… Austerity. The EU needs more money to annex Ukraine.

I reported a £1200 digital camera stolen 2 years ago. It was a birthday present of my best friend.

The police sent a "community" officer to look around. I showed him the broken window where they had gotten in, showed him where the camera had been left when it was stolen. His response...

"I'll issue you a crime reference number, but come on, its an insurance con-job. I can't prove it but we both know it is."

I had to get my camera back, myself. I did so by calling all the pawn shops, and 2nd-hand shops in the entire north of England, giving out the serial number. 3 weeks later, I got a phone call from the police, the burglars had tried to hock it at one of the shops, who recognised the serial number.

When the community officer dropped it off for me, missing the lens, I said "Con-job?", he just drove away without comment.

Yes i've experienced similar occurences, but i'm from South Africa.
The most recent was when a work colleague's son walked out
to the shop and didn't lock the door behind him. His sister
and mother were sitting in the living room, he wasn't gone three
minutes when someone burst in and shot up his mum 7 times, there were
bullet holes in her hands, so she saw it coming and tried to raise her
hands to protect herself, instead she was slaughtered in front of her
12 year old daughter. Nothing stolen, nothing ransacked, just another mindless
act of violence. When it was reported to the police they LITERALLY shrugged.
As in "well, what're we supposed to do about that?" No investigation,
no questioning, just another case opened that no-one will ever look into.

It's moments when I reflect on this, i'm kinda happy my grandfather is dead.
He fought in WW2 to protect this country , if he could see what it has become,
i'm afraid he'd suffer a heart attack on the spot.

Be ever, ever so grateful that you live in the UK where just car vandalism
has been made unofficially legal, you could live in a country where even
the cops don't give a damn if you're murdered in broad daylight.

If you need the police out fast and they say that theres no one available just say "ok, i'll get my shotgun out and sort the problem out myself", within a few minutes there will be about 5 armed response units with a helicopter overhead you don't need to actually own a shotgun (infact better if you don't) and mention to one of the officers that the person on the phone said "there was noone available" and walk back in the house

a reply to: DelegateZero88

kinda puts things into perspective again for me ...
my hearts always in my chest about my dodgy thug neighbour, right at my door ... but then real problems and evil, like you just mentioned, put things into perspective again ...

I am puzzled why this is "news" - it's been on the BBC today - when it has been this way for as long as I can remember when it comes to petty crimes. Granted, it doesn't always happen and some forces are better than others, but if you were unlucky enough to report a crime when no officers where available, the best you could hope for would be reference number for the insurance firm.

That said, people do get investigated for criminal damage, burglary and theft, but give the scale of petty crime, Police have to set priorities. In my own town, a couple of years ago, a prolific burglar was caught with evidence and burglary itself dropped by 45% when he was imprisoned. Police like to investigate these crimes by "intelligence" - they know who the local riff raff are - so while on the face of it it seems the Police don't "investigate" these crimes, they do catch the people responsible.

It is also worth highlighting that pretty much all types of crime are at their lowest levels recorded.

As to the point about the Police being politicised, I agree. This has been happening since Tony Blair's tenure and got worse with the introduction of the PCC's. It got to a point, especially under Blair, where Police would be dictating to Government about what should and shouldn't be crimes.

It isn't up to the Police to determine what a crime is, but rather Parliament. For example, they were quite vocal about the downgrade of Cannabis from a B to a C class drug, effectively decriminalising it for all except the dealers. Again, why the Police (specifically the Met) felt the need to weigh in and complain, given they always complain about being short of resources, is beyond me. If Parliament decides something is legal, or should be reclassified, that is for Parliament and Parliament alone to decide.

They could, if they wanted, make having sex with sheep in public perfectly legal and the Police should then do and say nothing. They're not even there to "enforce the law", but rather keep the peace, so by right even if a crime is being committed, if it isn't in the public interest and doesn't threaten the "peace" and no one has complained, they can and should just leave it be.

I do, however, find it quite ironic that some people will bemoan the decrease in overall Policing on the one hand, but then complain about police states, freedoms being taken away etc on the other.... You cannot have the former without far more of the latter......

it is also worth pointing out, to the poster who said all they do is issue traffic tickets, is that as Police Officer numbers have been cut - not by a great deal in the grand scheme of things with 16,000 less Officers nationally than 2009 when they were at their peak (144,353) under the nanny Government of Blair/Brown - the number of Officers dedicated to Traffic duty has also been cut across most forces.

Also, if you don't want to be issued with a "revenue generating traffic ticket", then don't drive like an arse, get insured, get your MoT to make sure your vehicle is roadworthy and obey the traffic laws. Simples. I have no sympathy for any driver who bitches about speed cameras or being harassed by Police for driving like a tit.

I see a market for a Citizen's Crime Scene Investigation Kit. I'll get to work on it now.

a reply to: stumason

Stumason...

You know, I think the third from last of the paragraphs in your post is little disingenuous. People SHOULD bemoan any decrease of investigation and prosecution of street level crimes, and they SHOULD complain about any change to the law which makes it easier for people who have done nothing immoral, to be prosecuted or have their right to privacy infringed (as in the case of illegal government surveillance of anyones and everyones internet data without probable cause).

Increasing officer numbers to the point where street level crime like vandalism, thefts, muggings, and car crime are actually investigated and prosecuted properly, does not automatically mean that a police state would ensue, as I am sure you are aware.

A police state is not as readily identified by the number of police, but rather by the way they are allowed to operate, the people on whose behalf they operate, and the amount political influence over the police force, that can be exerted by the government. Essentially, a police state is one where the police, and the government are a single entity, wielding power not to protect the people, but to prevent them from deposing the government and changing the structure of the nation.

All I am saying, is that there ought to be enough police officers to handle all the crime that happens in a thorough, workmanlike, and comprehensive fashion. If there are not, then that needs fixing. It is worth remembering that the more police persons there are, the less power they have to wield individually, but the greater the feats of detection they can accomplish!

When I saw this on the news this morning I was quite surprised. I live in Warwickshire, which was one of the PA's under scrutiny, and I have found quite the opposite. we've had quite a few 'car crimes' lately and the police response has been swift and occasionally a bit over-enthusiastic. For example, a couple of weeks ago we had a drunken teenage girl throwing bottles at the cars in the street, neighbours called the police and they arrived within minutes, four rapid response vehicles with blues and twos for one teenage girl armed with a recycling box That being said, the coucil tax around here is shockingly high!