Austerity cuts have hit policing, as Federation warned

15 August 2022

The chair of Suffolk Police Federation says austerity cuts have had an impact on tackling burglary, robbery and theft.

Darren Harris said that years of cuts have left the police service understaffed, underfunded, and under-resourced, forcing forces to make difficult operational decisions.

His comments follow 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”.

Darren said: “We understand that crimes like burglary, robbery and theft can have a huge impact on people’s lives and livelihoods, and acknowledge this report highlights key areas for improvement.

“However, 12 years of cuts and underinvestment in policing have led to an overstretched service, and forces having to make difficult decisions on how and where they allocate resources.

“We’ve lost many experienced investigators and it takes time for our new uplift recruits to learn their roles. But, even still, there are that many demands on their time and the caseload is so big that all too often there isn’t the capacity to investigate.

“The Federation has been warning about this for years and it has to change. And the only way it can change is with a properly funded and resourced police service so that we can serve and protect the public and retain their confidence.”

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 percent 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.

The report highlighted Suffolk Police’s data collaboration agreement with Norfolk Police.

It said: “This collective endeavour between two counties’ organisations aims to use data to give insights into public services and the needs they serve. One of the Norfolk priorities is to give police vulnerability data to help reduce crime and exploitation.”

Darren said: “While the report highlights areas for improvement, we’re pleased to see our work with colleagues in Norfolk recognised in this way.”

Steve Hartshorn, the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) chair, has also reacted to the report, saying that the Federation has long warned of the impact of cuts on policing.

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.”