Collapse of confidence in police

I think most people think the police are for preventing and investigating violent crime (including sexual crime) and theft, particularly home burglaries and street robberies so people feel safe and don't take to vigilantism. I'd say the other big public duty is stopping public disorder from getting out of hand, eg carting off drunks on a Saturday night when they get too lairy for their own good, sorting out big crowds, etc, again, so people don't take these matters into their own hands.

Interpersonal stuff, debate, disagreement is our affair, as it's better for people to sort this stuff out themselves in a civil society.

But they don't seem to think this.

What do they think their job is?

I have had my opinion changed. I had mixed experiences:

About 12 years ago I had my car stolen, they did nothing. I went out in our other car to get fuel and they drove past me! I followed them back to a steer and they went in a house. I called the police telling them where they/the car was. I heard nothing for 2 days. I went back over there and it was still in there. I called them again and waited for them to come and retrieve it. We had to pay the cost of the retrieval. After they had forensically tested they car they said we could pick it up. Told me it was drivable , I got there and the driving column had been damaged as they had been driving with a screw driver. There were loads of cigarette butts. When I mentioned they weren't ours, they said "oh, we had better hang onto it and test them". They got DNA but couldn't charge him as couldn't prove he stole it, he wouldn't say who did and they couldn't prove her hadn't been in the car without my permission! He got a slapped wrist.

I do have a good experience though. I reported historic child sexual abuse in 2015. The police were amazing and sensitive. They located other victims and he is now serving a 16 year sentence as a category A prisoner. I will always be grateful to them.

VashtaNerada and yet the police have the resources to pursue someone over a limerick, arrest a woman in front of her children over a Twitter spat. Attend any Pride event, wearing their rainbow lanyards, in great numbers. It’s amazing what they can find the resources for isn’t it?

I really don't think it can be all just blamed on cuts. There is a lack of neighbourhood policing which helps to foster trust and because the police are less likely to bother with theft/burglary which will affect more people than a crazy axe murderer the trust is further eroded.

The thing is doesn't everyone occasionally get a bit of random abuse. Sometimes people aren't very nice, but so what? I don't think they do OFTEN escalate into violence. I think it's actually quite rare? From time to time, people abuse my husband in the street. I'm sure, as we are all/mainly women, we've all had random sexist abuse in the street, too. I can't imagine bothering the police about it. Who thinks this is what the POLICE are for? The police isn't your mum, or the dinnerlady.

I mean...like, ok - once the butcher in the market called my DH a cripple and laughed at him. So... I told everyone I know and we all stopped shopping there. Isn't that a more reasonable response? Natural justice? Not really sure why you'd get the police involved in such petty bullshit. I think that butcher is a dickhead, but I don't think he should go prison or lose his business entirely. I very much doubt he's about to embark on a campaign of terror against the disabled. He's actually just a bit of a prat, as many have been and will be.

I just think it's all really silly. Can we get some adults in the room.

Doesn’t surprise me. My local force actually released as statement saying that they won’t investigate burglaries any more . I have an ongoing issue with domestic violence between some neighbors. I had to call them yet again recently as he was attacking his girlfriend, the police took about 45 mins to turn up (bearing in mind this was an emergency call). By that time he’d beaten her up and run off. Their response was ‘it’s a shame he’s not here as we would have liked to talk to him, there’s not a great deal we can do right now’. They also left it to me to make sure the children were reported to SS as ‘we’re very busy and in theory info should be passed on but sometimes things get missed’.

I do appreciate that the term “very serious” is hard to define. A jewellers 5 mins from my house was being robbed and the shop next door phoned the police only to be told “there was no one available”. Really, what’s the point in phoning? And it’s only a matter of time before vigilante gangs crop up.

Not surprising. Had an experience similar to many here. Man in recognisable company van deliberately knocked DH off his bike, kicked him and spat in his face leaving cuts bruising and head injury.

The police went round the company once but the company said he ‘wasn’t working’ that day, they told us they didn’t have the resources for further follow up. That was that

However as per theHarry Millar case if someone reads something on the internet that offends them they are all over it like a rash.

It depends on your definition of "very serious" I suppose.

My DS was robbed at knife point in broad daylight. The police wouldn't even take a statement.
A week later a young man was robbed and stabbed to death in the same area. I have no idea if the two crimes were related, but the point is that the people who do this have no fear of being caught.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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?

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.

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.)

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.

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.