To think the police aren't fit for purpose

[countingsheep5678]

I am not talking about individuals who put their lives on the line, I'm talking about how police constabularies are run up and down the country.

I have experienced three quite horrible anti social incidents in the 'safe' area of Hertfordshire where I live! One a group of boys threatened to throw my toddler in the river and another a man threatened to smash my 'ducking' car in because I asked him to move a bag out of the road!

I want to speak to a local police officer to explain my concerns and ask if there would be more officers on the street and what they are doing about the anti social behaviour in the area. I managed to speak to someone who took all my details and said they'd pass it onto a safer neighbourhood team.

I asked when I would hear back... he couldn't tell me. I asked if I could speak to someone more senior as I wanted some reassurance quite soon, he said I would have to make a complaint if I wanted to speak to someone more senior. I asked if I could have the number of the safer neighbourhood team... they don't have a number. So essentially, unless I call 999 there and then there are no local police officers you can talk and engage with. I was also astounded by the lack of empathy the police officer I spoke to had. When you've been on the receiving end of horrible situations you want to feel reassured. I have got off the phone feeling more concerned about the safety of our neighbourhood than ever.

Just by luck I have seen my local safer neighbourhood police team are holding a surgery tomorrow... but surely we deserve better from the police? We need more open, direct access to them? Am I alone in thinking this?

Almost half of murder victims - as well as suspects - were black despite the ethnic group accounting for just 13% of London's population.
White people in London make up 60% of the population, but only account for 35% of murder victims and 24% of murder suspects.

news.sky.com/story/black-murder-victims-and-suspects-london-v-uk-11443656 2018 article
So half of murder suspects are black, might explain the reason for more tasering

Many of these responses make my blood boil. I do agree with the poster who states that the front liners are doing their best but are under resourced and let down by crap management . My dd is a police officer and it is awful to hear the amount of abuse she gets, just trying to do her job. She has been kicked, spat at and throttled, is regularly called a racist (she definitely isn’t) all while trying to help others. It’s a thankless task.

My OH’s van was stolen. A friend happened to see it next to a breakers yard. By the time we got there it was in the yard - we could see the top of it but there was no way into the yard. The police didn’t have anyone to come! It was right there they were committing a crime right there.
A few days later we got a call from the council (the van has his company name and phone number on it) saying we needed to move the dumped van. It was now outside the breakers yard completely stripped! Literally outside.
The police never called us back.

Yesterday when I was walking my dog I saw a two foot long machete stuck into the ground behind a bush. I called 101 and they said that was of interest but no one would come.

I must admit that since the Sarah Everard case my confidence and trust in the police has plummeted. I still find it hard to get my head around the fact that a poor young woman was murdered by someone in uniform that we should be able to trust.

Plus then there was the case soon after of the poor black ladies who were murdered in a London park and when the police arrived, one of the officers sent photos of the corpses to his friends in a WhatsApp group, with words of contempt that it was their fault anyway because they had broken lockdown rules (when they actually hadn’t).

I’m sure I read another similar case a few days ago too.

I used to hold the police in such high regard and trusted that they were doing the right thing. I’m sure some are, but not all.

Plus then there was the case soon after of the poor black ladies who were murdered in a London park and when the police arrived, one of the officers sent photos of the corpses to his friends in a WhatsApp group, with words of contempt that it was their fault anyway because they had broken lockdown rules (when they actually hadn’t).

Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman. To be defaced in death! By the police no less! I honestly think the police are worse than some of the criminals they purport to 'protect' us from.

Hit the nail on the head.👌

Have you lost faith in doctors because of Harold shipman or teachers/teaching assistants because of Maxine carr, I doubt it! For all the negative incidents we here about the police they are undoubtedly trumped by the amount of good and solid policing that just doesn't even get mentioned to the public

Its the same old scenario - receive a good service and you tell no one, receive a bad service and you tell the world

I'm still interested in how people who are against the police service would like to see it run - baring in mind the resources and procedures we have. What changes would they make if they were in charge and what effect do they think it would have?

Sadly I only have bad examples. I think the police do their best and I don’t blame them

Another experience for me was when we were woken up my a commotion. Some man was going along the road ripping the side mirrors off cars and kicking in the sides of cars. He did about five in the time it took my oh to get his trousers and trainers on and out the front door. Oh ran after him with my neighbour and caught him. My oh is pretty fit and strong so this bloke wasn’t going anywhere. Neighbour called the police. No one came. The call handler was very nice but said there was no one and wouldn’t be anyone and to let him go.
He had damaged a total of nine cars.

Snowraingain
I agree - there should have been someone available, but inevitably we run out of resources.

You then have to way up diverting someone from one job to that one - and we all might be on jobs that we just can't divert from. As stillvicarinatutu listed before, hospital guards, mental health cases, custody queues with prisoners, safeguarding vulnerable victims etc etc

We have to weigh up weather a wing mirror is more important than a life.