Government must provide adequate resources for police to investigate all burglaries

5 October 2022

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) has announced that chief constables have decided to attend all home burglaries in England and Wales to reduce crime and build public confidence.

The announcement was made after all 43 chief constables of England and Wales formally agreed to the policy change at a Chief Constables’ Council meeting last week. Following the decision, NPCC and the College of Policing jointly wrote a letter to Home Secretary Suella Braverman informing about the move and calling for changes in the crime recording rules.

Reacting to the announcement, PFEW National Chair Steve Hartshorn said: “Burglary is a crime that can have a huge detrimental impact on people’s lives and sense of security. We, therefore, welcome this decision by chief constables for the police to attend all such crimes. It provides visible policing, will help to reinforce public trust and the evidence and intelligence collected may also help to bring more offenders to justice and reduce crime.

"However, with one in seven forces put into special measures, short-term funding, increasing demands and low officer numbers per head of the population, it continues to be a 'do more with less' situation for police officers in England and Wales.

"Police officers across the country are increasingly taking up health and social work tasks because of an absence of other services. Chief constables are also calling the Government to amend crime recording rules and treat burglaries in people’s homes separately from those in garden sheds and outbuildings. While this may help push crime figures down and negate the need for police to attend all such crimes, for those whose properties have been burgled – inside or outside – it isn’t fair and will just be seen as smoke and mirrors.

"It is therefore time that we find out exactly what people want and expect from their police service, rather than successive governments second-guessing.

"Police officers are committed to protecting the public and will continue to do everything they can with the limited resources faced; but the Government must step up and properly recognise and support police officers who are run ragged, struggling to deliver the service they want to give the public because of the increasing demands of the job.”