‘Cuts have had consequences, decisions need to be made’

16 August 2022

The chair of Hertfordshire Police Federation says that years of cuts and underinvestment are having huge consequences on policing.

Luke Michell said that cuts to police numbers and budgets over the last decade had impacted forces’ ability to prevent and detect crime.

And he said that demands on the police were outstripping resources meaning that decisions have to be made by the Government and police and crime commissioners (PCCs) over what they are asking officers to prioritise.

He was speaking after the publication of a new report on burglary, robbery and theft from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS).

The report found that: 

• Forces are missing opportunities to identify and catch offenders, from the moment a member of the public reports the crime to the point where a case is finalised;
• Police are not doing all they can to help victims when they report crimes – in 71 per cent of the burglary reports examined, police personnel did not give victims any advice on crime-scene preservation during the initial call;
• Forces lack investigative capacity and capability to effectively tackle burglary, robbery and theft, often because of the national detective shortage and inexperience; and
• Investigations are not being appropriately or thoroughly supervised, with a third of cases examined having insufficient evidence of proper supervision.

HMICFRS has recommended that by March 2023, all police forces should ensure that: 

• Their crime-scene management practices adhere to the authorised professional practice on managing investigations for burglary, robbery and theft; and
• These investigations are subject to effective supervision and direction.

Luke said: “It’s not surprising that after a decade of cuts to police numbers, cuts to our infrastructure and underinvestment in officers, staff and equipment that forces are lacking the capacity and capability to investigate and tackle burglary, robbery and theft effectively.

“As a Federation, we were clear throughout the austerity years that cuts have real-life consequences for people and communities.

“We need more investment in policing, from recruitment to retention, from equipment to infrastructure, so that we can continue the relentless fight against burglary, robbery and theft.”

The report cited Hertfordshire Police in two examples of good practice. It highlighted the Force’s use of “intelligent software to seek dynamic caller feedback on multiple crime or incident types” and that “investigators refer some vulnerable victims to an older person liaison officer”.

Luke said: “While this report highlights the need for improvements, we’re pleased to see some of our good practice and innovation recognised and cited as examples.”

Luke also called for a long-term funding settlement to allow forces to make strategic plans to fight crime.

He said: “The current system of year-to-year funding encourages short-term thinking. We need a new approach that allows forces to identify long-term trends and spending and investment priorities, which is why we need a multi-year deal from Government.”

He added: “Decisions need to be made by the Government and PCCs about what they are asking the police to do. It’s not just the police that have had significant cuts, all public services have. The police have been picking up the slack from others for too long.

“I hear ministers calling for police to focus on fighting crime and nothing else, which is fine but who’s going to deal with missing people? Who’s picking up that person with mental health problems at 3am in the morning? Who’s attending the address for someone not seen for a few days?

“PCCs and Government need to make decisions because, to put it simply, demand outstrips resources.

“Do we go to see that burglary victim or search for someone that threatened to harm someone?”

Steve Hartshorn, national chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW), said the Federation had warned from the start of the austerity measures that cuts would impact on policing.

He explained: “Policing is in crisis due to a perfect storm of factors – many PFEW have been warning about repeatedly for a number of years, including, most significantly, that cuts would have dire consequences.

“We have sadly been found to be correct. It appears that despite the same messages from various reports and organisations over the years no action has been taken to prevent matters escalating and becoming worse.”

And he added his name to calls for a long-term funding settlement for forces.

Steve said: “Our members deserve more investment, better benefits and an appropriate integrated learning environment that equips them for the realities of policing.

“I would urge the Government to commit to a long-term, sustainable funding settlement, and review its outdated funding formula which contributes to this postcode lottery service for victims, which is unacceptable.

“A long-term plan would allow chief constables, police and crime commissioners and our partner agencies in policing to plan for the future and would also help efforts to put sustainable mentoring and training strategies in place so our officers can provide the very best service they themselves want to provide to the public.”

Speaking about the report, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary Andy Cooke said: “Burglary, robbery and theft are not minor crimes. They are crimes that strike at the heart of how safe people feel in their own homes or communities. The current low charge rates for these crimes are unacceptable and unsustainable – there needs to be a concerted drive to address this issue because it directly affects the public’s confidence in the police’s ability to keep them safe.”

He added: “A lack of experienced officers means that too often, these crimes are being investigated poorly and are not adequately supervised – often because supervisors themselves are inexperienced and overstretched.

“We found that some police forces are working hard to tackle these crimes and uncovered some excellent examples of innovative and effective practice. We hope that other forces will follow these examples.

“We’ve made two recommendations for police forces to go back to basics by improving crime scene management and ensuring proper supervision so that investigations are conducted effectively.”