To think the police are useless?

[RainbowsAndCrystals]

In my 20s I've been around many people that have had bad experiences with them and say how useless they are.

Something happened to me a month ago and it was caught on cctv.

Firstly the police said I had to get the evidence myself. So I had to ask around for cctv ... very difficult when people don't want to be involved and you're someone with zero authority.

Now a month later and they still haven't bothered to look at the footage.

It's so disheartening and almost like they have sided with the criminals.

And they are not so much walking , as running away , to jobs with better money , where they aren't criticised by every armchair warrior

Victims of crime are not armchair warriors. The cuts are not victims' fault. It feels like shit to be a crime victim. Frightening. Its bloody hard to sit there thinking 'oh well Id better get over it police can't do anything'.

A huge issue is the government being the cause of all this.. Not being lobbied in any big way. & both victims ad police feeling despondent.

This government have done a great job of pitting people against each other, neither of whom have the power to change anything on a small scale, vying to 'prove' who has it worst.

I'm not blaming the victims . Never have . Having been one several times myself . In fact it's because I have been a victim , that I'm bloody furious about what we have become . Hamstrung , shorthanded , and falling far short of what I believe victims of crime deserve . Because every crime is relative . It might 'only ' be a theft from motor vehicle , but if you haven't got much money to replace broken windows in your car , then potentially it's a big thing if you then can't get to work . Or if you get burgled . Someone's broken into your home , your safe place . It's an invasion , and it's devastating . And right now , it's not deemed 'priority ' enough to even get a visit from an officer ? It's not right . Not at all .

I've seen the amount of MH stuff the police end up dealing with and it's a piss take.

One of DH's ex hospital friends tried to commit suicide a month back, rang the community crisis team that she's under and they wouldn't do fuck all. Told DH it was a police matter, police were brilliant.

I couldn't hack the job, I doubt many could.

Told DH it was a police matter

Something that happens more and more these days. Other agencies either pass the buck or don't have the resources themselves so they refer things to the police. Unfortunately that's where the buck stops.

Things like this, police having to deal with a MH issue probably means those 2 cops will spend their entire shift having to sit at the hospital waiting for them to be assessed. So that one case means they're completely off the road and unable to attend calls because they're dealing with something another agency should be dealing with

Based on a very recent experience, I would say YADNBU.

However, this doesn't simply translate to the officers we came across as being bad people universally, though those above them clearly were.

I think that most people who join and continue to serve as police do so for the right reasons and genuinely want to make a difference. It is just blindingly obvious that the transition of Police Force to Police Service did not go well and that the manpower available is simply not there.

Those officers we encountered all freely admitted "every day was hell, knowing you have no chance" and a great amount of them were very bitter (understandably). Whilst I have huge sympathy with any officers on the ground trying their best and frequently not getting any thanks for it, for real victims of crime (& we really are), it is simply not good enough and you end up wondering if you would bother ever calling them again.

Theresa bloody May has crucified so much of this country and the globally renowned services such as our police and the NHS have suffered the most.

I agree OP, I've found them useless on the few occasions over my life when I've had to deal with them (I don't think it's a recent issue). Their attitude has always been appalling when I've had the misfortune to need to report a crime against me, and they have never taken any action regardless of the severity of the crime in question.

I personally think YABU. I'm recent dealings my family have had with the police (once the to an attempted break in at my elderly nan's and secondly because another elderly relative collapsed in his home and we couldn't get in) they have been absolutely fantastic - really helpful, kind and efficient.

I have every respect for the police - they do a bloody difficult job in sometimes very difficult circumstances and with not enough resources. It's not The Bill - things don't just get sorted in an hour because everything falls into place.

YABVVU. Hi Vicar and Plomino 👋🏻.

The police, as pps have pointed out are getting smashed left, right and centre. And that is translating to things being missed, slip ups made, crimes being reprioritised to a lower level. But mostly, the oppos on the front line are fighting with all they've got to do what they can to help, save, protect, rescue, preserve life and property.

All these people criticising them would shit their pants in even the mildest situations the officers find themselves in, but still think they have the right to say what should have been done and how.

It would be a very sorry day without our thin blue line, and sadly it's just getting thinner. 💙

It's overly simplistic to say it's all the fault of the cuts. That implies a fantastic job was being done under the previous govt. It wasn't. My experiences with the police cover the last 15 years. And 3 different police forces

But I guess in being patronised, ignored and belittled I've just been unlucky. Ditto my friends.

YABU. If you want to blame anyone, blame the Hone Office. But you are definitely being very unreasonable to say all police are useless.

I've just googled and found an article saying that the police solved just 6% of burglaries in 2015. Still cheering for them

Non violent burglaries? People should keep their homes secure. Most burglaries are opportunist. With limited resources it's quite right they are focusing on the increasing levels of violent crime and terrorist activity. A police officer friend had to cancel a booked holiday when the security status was raised recently - how many other jobs have to do that?

Just this morning I'm writing a thank you card and a commendation letter to a lovely policeman who went way above and beyond to help my terminally ill sister when we had a non medical emergency. It wasn't that he just helped, it's that he did so with such sensitivity and compassion that really made the situation bearable.

I profoundly believe that the horrific scenes we've seen in Spain over the weekend would not happen here. We're lucky to have the police force that we do.

I think they can be useless. A couple of years ago we had a Great Dane (died from cancer sadly ☹️) but he was a lovely dog, very daft, very placid and friendly. My neighbour didn't like dogs in general which is fine but he wasn't hurting him or intruding on his life! Anyway after a few months of living there this awful man made a weapon out of a metal bar and a fire poker and proceeded to try and stab my dog with it over the garden fence! My poor dog was old for a Great Dane at this point (8) and petrified. I went out after hearing dog yelling whining and barking to see him doing it. Needless to say I went mad got the dog I. The house and called the police. They went to see him then came to me and said "we have told him to leave the dog alone" is that it?! "Well he's an 80 year old man" I don't care he made a weapon and tried to stab my dog with it! For absolutely no reason!

At that point I was furious at the police. End of the day if that was me I would have been arrested and the only excuse they had for not doing so was because he was 80. He still managed to make this weapon and try to stab my dog with it! Awful man!

I was a copper for 25-years... if you vote for a government that is happy to cut police numbers by 20,000 while giving a billion quid to the DUP just to stay in power- you shouldn't be too surprised you're doing some of their work yourself.

Police officers themselves are hard working and dedicated but the cuts do mean that the police service is letting down people like the OP who have been victims of lesser crimes.
Having your son robbed at knife point must be a terrifying experience both for your son and yourself. Of course the OP is allowed to be angry and frustrated that the criminals who did this are allowed to go scot free because the police won't/can't take any action against them. I can only imagine how helpless that must make the OP feel. It's OK to be angry with the police service as it is today.

I agree op
When my ex beat me up it took them a week to come out ! After they're promised they be there in 1/2 hour
A police woman told me I needed to 'be more communicative' to him. I never knew if that was before during or after he punched me
Some were great others not so much

Just wait until May gives her G4S cronies the right to make arrests.... then the fun will really begin.

UK police have recently found my purse on a thief and found my phone number to let me know and returned the purse to me. Considering I'd not reported it stolen and live in Sweden I was quite impressed tbh.
No idea what the police situation is here, been here eight yrs and never seen any police - although I know they exist

Feeling massively inspired to go and do my job today

14 years front line experience.

Thank you for those who understand we're screwed because of cuts, not lack of will.

still I thank you for what you doing & agree that mental health/social care cuts are having a massive impact. The ambulance programme is so depressing for example.

I also think no police officers should have to work alone. And I think most posters do care if one is injured/killed in the line of duty.

You wouldn't call carers useless because of a few bad apples.
BUT I do agree to a certain extent only from my own experience, but also depends on the area you live in, mine is very busy high crime so they just don't have the force behind them. However in my nans little village town they do a good job!

I think the police service is stretched past breaking point, and many people working within it are going above and beyond every day to keep the show on the road. Same as the NHS.

HOWEVER - that absolutely DOES NOT make it OK that people are having to suck up a whole load of minor crimes because there aren't the resources or the manpower to do anything about them. There is a question of justice not being done now, and it is worrying.

I am disturbed by the number of people on this thread who are saying "YABU, the police are overstretched", like that excuses it. There is a very real responsibility here to care for people - and those who are funding the service, the politicians and, beyond them, the electorate, need to take that responsibility seriously. Next time you hear people on Mumsnet saying they don't want tax rises, remember what the real life costs of that are.

I was a police officer for 6 years, this was back in 2000/2006, back then there was much more funding, more offices but still, some victims didn't get the response they wanted and thought we were hopeless.
Now there is less funding, less officers, the same amount of incidents and people still thinking police are useless when they don't get the response they want.
As far as CCTV is concerned, yes it may show the incident if your lucky enough for the citv to be pointing that way at that time but Sod's law usually dictates its pointing the other way. Like is say if it does pick it up they need to be able to identify and locate the offenders my the CCTV, you can't force this to happen, sometimes they can sometimes they can't, just having to footage is not a dead cert that a prosecution can be brought, for the above reason and also because the angle of which it has recorded may not provide enough evidence to prove the crime.
It is never as easy as victims seem to believe to identify, locate and get the evidence.
I did need the polices assistance a few month ago, someone nearly drove me off the road, damaged my car and tried to make off, I had them their and couldn't even get through to the police, he then did take off and the police inspite of making several attempts at the address have never located him, finding him on the road is like a needle in a haystack, annoyed and frustrated, yes, but I have walked a few mile in their shoes and whilst yes some have an awful chip on their shoulders and some are useless, I have first hand experience of the job to make an informed decision on the state of today's policing, you op don't, so please don't judge.

Have a good day tired, and stay safe xx

I was a copper for 25-years... if you vote for a government that is happy to cut police numbers by 20,000 while giving a billion quid to the DUP just to stay in power- you shouldn't be too surprised you're doing some of their work yourself

And if you didn't vote for that government?

@ParkheadParadise how awful, I’m so sorry, and injustice too 🙁
💐