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?

But organisers expected that around a million people would join the party — lining the streets and following the parade past London landmarks like Trafalgar Square.

Pride parade - yes, great idea not to police an a million people event.

@IfIHadAHeart
I wrote the comment about introducing a trained Officer group like the military.
Obviously that wont help immediately when undermanned but what are you views on this please?

@IfIHadAHeart but this is my point the way it is run is not fit for purpose!

They haven’t been fit for purpose for years! Sexist, racist and lazy’

Threatening to chuck your kid in the river is probably more offensive to most people than someone digging them out online

They are completely overworked and treated like shit by the government - frequently pulled out of their day jobs to cover other stuff like Aid - etc There aren't enough of them. They are trying to deliver a good service on a shoe string budget because of cuts and they just can't. Do you have any idea how much time and paperwork is involved in answering one complaint? Loads, absolutely loads. And that in itself is vicious circle. It's like robbing Peter to pay Paul in terms of time every single day - there is never enough of anything to go around whether it's people or resources. A big organisation needs money to operate - when it keeps being cut and cut and cut this is what you get.

Show me a public service in Britain that is adequately funded.

I'm not clear on why he disliked it so much. Surely you would hang on in there to climb the ranks and make changes.

I recently reported an incident to the police. I eventually got to talk to someone in the relevant station to say they had reviewed it and decided no further action was necessary. They decided this without talking to me about what actually happened, or viewing the video footage I had which proved I was a victim. If I hadn't chased it up I would never have known they weren't doing anything.

Actually they did do something. They went and 'had a word' with this person, but kept me anonymous. It was blindingly obvious to him who the incident was with so now I am more of a target than I already was.

@IfIHadAHeart I wish you would read the positives people have put and what I've mentioned about three times now! In my initial comment I mention hard working police officers, I don't envy your job! BUT I also don't think the way the organisation is run works! You obviously are overstretched and over worked, concentrating on things you don't want to be doing! And as from this thread the general public aren't getting the service from the police force they deserve! Those in the highest positions need to be held accountable... it's where the service is going wrong! Also having a Tory government who, like education and the nhs, now want to score the different police forces up and down the country causing more paperwork, doesn't help! They are a clueless bunch of privileged bandits, who don't have the first clue about running a bath let alone the police, health service etc etc! I feel sorry for you working like this too...

YANBU @countingsheep5678. Utterly unfit for purpose. But then after 12 years of Tory incompetence, chaos and corruption, nothing works in the UK anymore 😠

My law abiding husband who is asthmatic and diabetic was arrested in handcuffs from our home, at the height of lockdown, and chucked in a cell for 8 hours, for theft of an A4 paper sign our neighbours put on a bank of land between our homes. I returned A4 to the arresting officer. Someone round the corner had a campervan stolen and couldn't raise any interest from the police. Consequently we are extremely cynical and our faith in the police in our area is totally trashed.

@Magicpaintbrush as I said it's not fit for purpose!

The police officers I've met have all been pretty decent people. On the whole, I have been impressed. Be wary of constantly bashing them. If you do, the best will leave.

If you really want to reduce crime and build a better society, you must stop the worst people from having kids. I know that sounds extreme, but it's the truth. You must also deport criminals who came here illegally. So long as you allow ignorant, vicious, anti-social chavs to have as many kids as they like, so long as you allow illegal immigrants who've raped or robbed to keep delaying deportation, you'll just have to put up with violence and crime. Simple as that. There is a limit to what the police can do.

I'm a bit conflicted because dh is a retired police officer and worked really hard but found it very difficult in the latter years due to all the cuts that were made, replacing officers with pcso's etc and all the red tape and paperwork, it wasn't what he signed up for in the end and couldn't wait to retire.

I think it's another one of those services that needs a massive overhaul.

We've had to involve the police in a handful of things over the past few years and have found it hit and miss about whether they were "any good" or not.

If you have a hit and run don't even bother ringing them, happened to me recently and they wrote me a polite email advising me that although it was a road traffic offence to crash into someone's car and drive off it wasn't punishable by the police and just let the insurance company deal with it. In other words they just don't have the resources.

Another time dh intervened in a fight in the local pub when he was off duty got knocked almost unconscious by a single punch, a black eye etc as when he fell to the ground they kicked him in the head, the police wouldn't even arrest the culprit even though he was there in front of him but that was because he was waiting for back up which arrived too late. Luckily dh complained (as he knew the sergeant) they had cctv and found him through a bit if investigating.

Another time we were being harassed by a bunch of teenagers causing some issues outside our house and the police came round and looked at our cctv and went to the school and the school spoke to the parents.

So from my point of view it's hit and miss but it definitely isn't fit for purpose anymore.

No, we want police to properly respond to and investigate crimes that matter. Like rape, burglary, assault, murder etc. NOT pissball about visiting and intimidating people who’ve tweeted an opinion others don’t like. Or copyright infringements or the like.

This.

Maybe you should think.

Consider maybe police work also entails paperwork and a lengthy amount at that. Its not uncommon for a shoplift to take up eight hours of writing. Apply that concept to when an independent investigation is required. Once upon a time, Police could arrest and hand over to investigation teams to progress. That is not the case anymore. Officers have to deal with their own arrests and subsequent investigations (unless its an investigation that can be handed to a specialist department) whilst all the while having to respond to 999 calls that are continuously coming in.

Meanwhile they have to spend the majority of their time dealing with the absolute worst society has to offer, working a dangerous job, seeing awful things that most wouldn't be able to cope with emotionally and are having to watch their profession dragged through the mud because of a few bad apples.

Not defending the bad ones but every profession has them sadly. I still visit my GP despite Harold Shipman, Benjamin Geen, Beverly Allit, Lucy Letby, Barbara Salisbury, Colin Norris, Victorino Chua, etc. We are still happy to send our kids to nursery and school despite Vanessa George, Jayden McCarthy, Nisha Rani, Paul Wilson, Clare Cartwright and Thomas Clark.
Not surprised if their empathy and morale are through the floor at this point. Evidenced by their poor retention of officers right now. The Met have more people leaving then they are recruiting.

@Suetwo it does scare me the neglect some of these teenagers must have suffered to be so vile! I read these awful cases of abuse that go unnoticed because of another stretched service (the social services) and wonder what actually is the government doing with our money?

* Just a general comment please don't think I am bashing all police officers because I am not. The man I spoke to Today had no people skills but I am crisitising the running of the organisation as a whole not individual officers who work bloody hard for little gain*

These types of posts just show how out of touch people are with the chronic underfunding of public services. This isn’t about not being bothered it’s about prioritising time. Most police time is spent picking up the chaos of other public services that literally can not function which usually involve vulnerable people which will take priority over most other things sadly.
The negative media has also skewed public opinion, the police are not full of sexist, racists people. And it’s the same police who have locked up those officers who deserve to be. But equally why would any officer in this day and age be pro active - it just results in edited MSM footage and officers having to be investigated by the useless IOPC for years for only doing their job.
finally you will find that it is not the police who don’t investigate your crime it is the wider criminal justice system (also completely broken) which will say it’s not in the public interest to continue - unfortunately crime like burglary are non violent (agree that they are actually very distressing) and therefore won’t end up in prison or with any real punishment. This is not the choice of the police.
If you can do a better job join the police, work the awful shifts for awful pay! Be spat at, hit, threatened daily, stroppy complaints for not being nice enough when you have just seen a child stabbed to death!

@peskyginge can I ask why I am out of touch for saying the police is not fit for purpose? I am well aware of lack of funding but this highlights even more that it is isn't fit for purpose!

Ones a specific crime that has evidence the other harassment at best with a low success rate of any form of arrest let alone conviction

I will add that I was disappointed in my recent experience because I have always stood up for the police. I have several family members and friends who are really good Police staff. I've had a lot of ACAB types in my social circles for years and always challenged their view.
As you say OP it is the system that is broken, and letting down some really good people who are working a job that carries great risk and little public support.

I live in a rural area which is very understaffed and underfunded, more so than many other areas. We actually have a really good PCC but he hasn't got a magic wand.

You are obsessed.

Rape has a shocking conviction rate, shall we bump that even further down the list of priorities?

They are underfunded, but like most big organizations those at the very top are paid eye watering amounts plus a great pension too
Maybe pay less money for them?
It's always the same with these public services
The CEOs of most councils or social services earn six figures but the council tax and services are mostly rubbish too , expensive. We never get what we pay for out of our taxes yet we all just put up with it.