Cuts have had consequences for crime-fighting, says Fed chair

18 August 2022

Nottinghamshire Police Federation chair Simon Riley says that years of cuts to policing was impacting officers’ ability to tackle burglary, robbery and theft.

Simon emphasised the impact of austerity on policing following the publication of a new report on burglary, robbery and theft from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS).

Andy Cooke, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary, said that failing to target burglary, robbery, and theft “damages public confidence in policing”.

But Simon said that cuts to police numbers and budgets has had a huge impact on forces and their ability to prevent and detect crime.

He said: “We acknowledge that acquisitive crime such as robbery, burglary and theft has a huge impact on victims.

“We know it’s of huge importance to the people and communities we serve which is why we’re deeply frustrated that a decade of cuts and underinvestment has undermined our ability to tackle these types of crimes.

“The Police Federation of England and Wales has been warning for years of the devastating impact of austerity on policing and our communities.

“And it’s also having an impact on our members, who face increasing workloads and demands on their time, which is taking its toll on their physical and mental health.

“The Government needs to recognise that in order to best serve and protect our communities we need investment in policing and we need it now.”

The HMICFRS report found:

• 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:

• 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.

Steve Hartshorn, national chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW), echoed Simon’s comments.

He said: “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, Mr 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.”