Collapse of confidence in police

[BovaryX]

The Telegraph reports that public confidence in the police to investigate actual crimes is at an all time low. This is in the same issue which gives prominent coverage to Harry Miller's case.

As few as one in nine people believe police would solve their case if they were victims of crime, according to an exclusive YouGov poll that exposes a collapse in public confidence in the criminal justice system.

[BovaryX]

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/02/14/poll-reveals-dwindling-faith-police-ability-solve-crimes/

[Lojoh]

A few years ago, someone hit and ran, knocking my DH across the road outside our house. He was in his wheelchair (no bones broken, just his teeth knocked out and his neck injured, which has had some long term effects as he's got an incomplete c-spine SCI). The police came round once, then called on the owner of the car -- it was on CCTV and DH got a partial description so they easily discovered the perpetrator. The driver said they didn't do it. The police did... absolutely nothing. They never followed it up at all. No further investigation. Apparently all you need to do is just say you didn't do something and that's that. There was paint chipped off the wheelchair so there must have been on the car, too. Also... CCTV...

You can basically do what you like in this country. The police are not bothered. Apparently they are all on twitter. I would have thought the kind of person that could knock a person in a wheelchair across a road and then casually drive off might be worth keeping an eye on - but no - the big risk is limericks.

[NonnyMouse1337]

That is awful Lojoh. I'm so sorry your husband has not been able to find justice. I'm so baffled that the police wouldn't bother pursuing a fairly open and shut case if all the evidence was available!

[Catting]

I have been in the position of having the police in my home, because my ex friend lied and used them to harass me.
They didn't even listen to me, they tried to get me to inadvertently admit to 'crimes'.
It's only my nature as a huge fucking cynic that kept me from getting into trouble. They were sneaky, and massively overstepped their remit.
So yeah, I don't just have a low opinion of their motives, I think they are actively a menace.

[SonicVersusGynaephobia]

1 in 9, gosh that is really low.

I don't think the police would try to solve a crime against me so I can believe it.

[Languishingfemale]

When hundreds of thousands of people have their burglaries and car theft cases dismissed with just an email, of course people lose confidence. Then they see the Police spending ££££ on defending the indefensible PC Gul and chasing women like Posie up and down the country, of course they realise that the police are not interested in protecting the public.

[BatleyTownswomensGuild]

Unless you are black, and then they take a very different line. I work in HE and the number of young black male students who have been stopped harassed by police for simply walking down a street and going about their business is really distressing....

[HandsOffMyLangCleg]

I can believe it. My neighbours were burgled. They called the police while the burglars were in the house. They have a 1 year old.

The police didn't even come round and it took forever to get a crime number.

Meanwhile, PC Gul is telling people to "check their thinking" and valuable resources are being used on this.

Lojoh That really is awful.

[BovaryX]

I can believe it. My neighbours were burgled. They called the police while the burglars were in the house. They have a 1 year old. The police didn't even come round and it took forever to get a crime number. Meanwhile, PC Gul is telling people to "check their thinking" and valuable resources are being used on this

HandsOffmyLangClegg
I agree. It's absolutely insane. The collapse of confidence in the police is a serious issue and the upper echelons of the police should stop pandering to Stonewall and do something to address this issue.

[BovaryX]

Lojoh
That is terrible, but sadly it doesn't surprise me. The police are dysfunctional and Harry Miller's case highlights this.

[10FrozenFingers]

They mistakenly invaded my niece's home with a search warrant.

They didn't show her the warrant just pushed passed her and threatened her with handcuffs when she objected. They began to search the house. She asked over and over again to see the warrant, which one of them finally showed her. Not her name. Wrong house.

Kids distraught, mess in the kitchen and other rooms, vile attitudes and barely an apology.

Of course she complained and got a reluctant apology. That's our family with no trust in them any more.

[endofthelinefinally]

I am in my 60s. I have had a fair bit of experience of crime agsinst me and my family, in particular burglary, mugging, assault, kidnapping, roadrage.
Only once have I had a positive experience of the police. That was the two very kind, respectful officers who came to my door to tell me my son was dead.
I honestly don't know where, as a society, we go from here.

[Lojoh]

I think the thing is everyone has at least one experience like this. It's corrosive. And then you see all this guff in the paper and it does seem like some people have their own private law.

(Ironically, the definition of privilege.)

[MrsCollinssettled]

A relative of mine was the victim of an assault. The police knew who had done it, the people involved had admitted it and they took no action against them. There was much note taking, statement taking and reports back from chats with the people involved to say they were sorry but the police said that the CPS wouldn't touch it.

If I were to become a victim there's no way I would waste my time involving the police.

[Lojoh]

And I agree there is a connection to draw with stop and search, which also corrodes the relationship between the public and the police. When the majority of your experiences with the police are of being stopped and humiliated on the street while going about your business - if that's 9 of the 10 times you ever encounter the police in your life - and by their nature the majority of stop and search WILL be of law abiding citizens just going about their day - then it will inevitably create a relationship of resentment and distrust. It's not that stop and search doesn't catch criminals - it does - but the larger social effects of treating so many law abiding citizens as criminal or quasi-criminal, are actually genuinely destructive?

[endofthelinefinally]

I was horrified to see a person who assaulted one of my family several years ago pop up in the news recently for an even worse offence.
He could easily have been stopped, by the police wouldn't investigate.

[VashtaNerada]

DH is a police officer and we are both utterly horrified by the damage done to the service by this government. I have faith in (some!) individual officers but not in the ability of the police as a whole to investigate crime. I’ve reported three crimes in recent years and all have been dropped due to lack of resources. It’s really really sad and devastating both for the officers who just want to do a good job and (more importantly) the victims. Well we had the chance to elect a government prepared to invest in public services and we didn’t do it. You reap what you sow

[slipperywhensparticus]

I can honestly say I dont trust the police as far as I can spit they continually harassed me and my ex trying to get us to admit we had done something wrong when we had clear evidence we had done nothing weren't even in the area at the time if they had shut her down the first time she made a deliberate false allegation she wouldn't have wasted everyone's time and effort all of the other times

They failed to even investigate when my daughter was sexually assaulted

Despite many many many threats off my ex towards me they do nothing I will be six foot under one if these days and apparently "lessons will be learned," that's if I die close to an election I suppose

[grandemac]

It's a tough one, I know some police & how committed they are & how demoralising it can be re the CPS & low sentences. However I know that they are also some dodgy ones & how the organisation closes rank to protect their own. I would be reluctant to make a complaint for example as I think that could lead to harassment.
They will blame it on cuts but I was burgled 20 yrs ago & they didn't do anything.

[MoltoAgitato]

Not surprised. Blatant County Lines style dealing going on in a school car park and despite repeated calls to police at all levels, no one even returned the calls, let alone came out for a look.

[BovaryX]

The Daily Mail is also reporting the statistics uncovered by the Telegraph which reveal 120,000 people have non crime incidents recorded against them, potentially affecting their employment opportunities


www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8006275/Police-record-120-000-cases-non-crime-hate-incidents.html?ito=native_share_article-masthead

[BovaryX]

That's terrible slippery This collapse of confidence in the police and their failure to do their duty and protect the public from criminals is a serious problem. The government needs to address this and it is completely undemocratic that the upper echelons of the police are pandering to a lobby group.

[OldCrone]

On R4 PM yesterday, there was an interview with Harry followed by an interview with a police officer. She said that the police want people to report non crime hate incidents because they often escalate into violence. It's hard to see how they could stop this escalation other than by the sort of harassment they used on Harry.

It would be better if they investigated and followed up on actual crimes.

[LynnSchmob]

I wouldn’t bother reporting anything unless very serious to the police. It’s not just a case of them being underfunded - they have their own agenda of what they view as a crime or not.

[grandemac]

A neighbour had their bike stolen, found it on gumtree & presented all the evidence to the local officers. No one would do anything, she begged for someone to attend a set up meeting with her just to get it back (same ward), they wouldn't do it.