Victims are no longer reporting some
crimes to police because so many offenders are never brought to justice. (Link)- A new report said the
public are losing faith in the criminal justice system and have
"rumbled" that police do not have the capacity to investigate. In
Enfield, north London, parents mount their own patrols in an attempt to prevent
their children being targeted by criminals. The constabulary inspector said a
suspect was charged in just 7.8% of crimes in England and Wales in the year to
March 2019. The Home Office said action should be taken if forces are not
performing.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-49324718
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51417872
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-49324718
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51417872
It came as a report by the spending watchdog warned the
government could run out of prison places in two years because of tougher
sentencing measures, combined with a drive to recruit 20,000 police officers. And
new prisoner places. But the Ministry of Justice said it would "always
have enough prison places".
Losing faith
Differences in the way police forces carry out
investigations, rising demand and falling resources in some areas means people
face a postcode lottery getting justice, Her Majesty's inspector of
constabulary said.
·
7.8%of crimes led to a suspect being charged, down from...
·
9.1%the previous year
·
Crimes closed because victim didn't support
prosecution22.6%
·
Up from previous year20%
Source: Home Office figures,
year to March 2019, for England & Wales
Matt Parr said the public has "rumbled" that
the police do not have the capacity to deal with common crimes, such as
burglaries or car crime, and have given up reporting incidents to police. "I
think particularly in the volume crime area the public has rumbled that the
police capacity to deal with this is extremely limited." "There are
some strikingly low figures about car crime resolution, meaning most of the
public simply give up reporting it because the chances of anything positive
happening are so slim." "The country is just short of
investigators," he said. "There's lots of forces that haven't got
enough detectives - therefore, very often, crimes aren't allocated to the right
people to investigate."
"They are not supervised properly and the people
that investigate them haven't had as much training as we'd like. And the net
result is, as we've seen, under 8% of recorded crimes getting a suspect
charged." Mr Parr added that "policing across England and Wales is
largely in good shape" but that "we cannot ignore that forces are
providing services under the twin pressures of rising demand and failing
resources". A suspect was charged in just 7.8% of crimes recorded in
England and Wales in the year to March 2019, down from 9.1% the previous year;
the proportion of crimes closed because the victim did not support a
prosecution rose to 22.6% from 20%.
'Overstretched'
Lucy May Walker, a licensed busker, was performing in
London's Euston Station when a woman stole €20 (£16.95) out of her collection
box. "I just watched her run away and thought 'I've just been robbed'...
for me, I didn't think police straight away," she told BBC Radio 5 Live. "I
just feel like the police - for just twenty quid - were not the first port of
call. I think they [the police] are overstretched as it is," she said. The
Home Office said inspectors had found many police forces were performing well
and that it is "giving police the resources they need". "In
areas where services are not up to scratch, we expect police to take action and
implement the inspectorate's recommendations at pace," a spokesperson
added.
Analysis by Tom Symonds, home affairs correspondent
There is now such an instinctive feeling that the
"police are stretched" that often crimes aren't reported at all.
There are many reasons. In the last decade funding cuts reduced police numbers,
and it will take time to restore the number of available officers. But it isn't
just about the number of "bobbies on the beat". The dramatic drop in
the proportion of suspects charged suggests other factors are involved too.
Modern policing requires deft handling of evidence from devices such as phones
and CCTV cameras. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary found even in the
best forces this can take months. In the worst, it can take a year and a half.
Police forces lack resources to analyse and use
intelligence they get from the community. They are also struggling to push
ahead with investigations where victims aren't co-operative. They are short of
investigators. It all contributes to a sense that if you become a victim of
lower-level crime in modern Britain, you can't expect to get justice. Meanwhile the National
Audit Office has found the government has so far only increased prison places
by 200, despite a pledge in 2016 to deliver 10,000 places over four years.
The NAO's report said the building programme was delayed
because of disagreements about funding. It found 3,000 places were still under
construction. There are currently more than 83,000 people locked up - and the
number is forecast to increase. The report said analysis by the Ministry of
Justice (MoJ) showed that from October 2022, demand for prison places could
begin to outstrip supply, as an increase in police officer numbers potentially
leads to more offenders being caught.
Further pressures are expected because
of sentencing reforms, with the most serious offenders spending longer periods
behind bars. SThe NAO report also criticised prison conditions, with poor
safety reaching "record levels" and "huge maintenance
backlogs".
Ministers have announced a new £2.5bn prison building programme
but the NAO said no timetable has been set and the 10,000 places which they
have again promised may not be enough to keep up with the expected rise in the
prison population. The Ministry of Justice said it recognised the need to
invest in maintenance and safety and pledged to spend an additional £256m to
carry out improvements over the coming year.
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