To all those wondering why police aren't investigating crime

[stillvicarinatutu]

Prompted by a discussion on here.

I'm a police officer and today we received an email from out chief constable to say that only 17% of incidents police in our force attend are for crime .

The other 83% are non crime related - mainly mental health issues. Police forces are now taking on the work of other agencies which means that they are not dealing with crime .

Partner agencies are so stretched the fall out is now being dealt with by police because we don't shut shop, don't only work 9-5 , and cannot say no .

I read and see regularly that police are criticised for not dealing with crime .

Well - this is why . Because we are picking up the slack from mental health, social services and medical incidents.

I think it's time for people to decide what they want from their police . If we weren't dealing with the 83 % of incidents that are not crime related then perhaps we could spend more time on the 17% that are . ?
I don't think people realise that this is happening to this extent .

[nancydroo]

@stillvicarinatutu

Prompted by a discussion on here.

I'm a police officer and today we received an email from out chief constable to say that only 17% of incidents police in our force attend are for crime .

The other 83% are non crime related - mainly mental health issues. Police forces are now taking on the work of other agencies which means that they are not dealing with crime .

Partner agencies are so stretched the fall out is now being dealt with by police because we don't shut shop, don't only work 9-5 , and cannot say no .

I read and see regularly that police are criticised for not dealing with crime .

Well - this is why . Because we are picking up the slack from mental health, social services and medical incidents.

I think it's time for people to decide what they want from their police . If we weren't dealing with the 83 % of incidents that are not crime related then perhaps we could spend more time on the 17% that are . ?
I don't think people realise that this is happening to this extent .

I don't think police get a fair deal.

[stillvicarinatutu]

Wish you'd been my Sgt nicknacky!

I stood on a murder scene one night from 21.10 - 07.30 with not breaks what so ever. Every time I asked for a comfort break I kept getting told there was no one to take me off .
That was one morning I had to drive home sat in a carrier bag as I couldn't sort my san pro out .

The second time that happened I rang my inspector and said someone better be ther to take me off at 4 as I had a doctors appt and I was leaving come what may .
That day I was on a cannabis set up with no working loo, I had to pee in the bath . Was there from 7am -16.00 when I walked out . Felt awful for my colleague but I'd just dealt with 2000 cannabis plants , 22 bags of evidence and I was pissed off !

[ChilliBandit]

@Relevanceiskey

@ChilliBandit sorry? I am happy to criticise if permitted, which is obvious from a previous post of mine. I am happy to take someone at face value regardless of their profession instead of illogically tarring everyone with the same brush. I think you are projecting, as its clear you dislike the police regardless of what they do.

You haven’t read my posts at all have you. I’ve said I criticise them where appropriate and praise them at other times. Unfortunately whilst I can praise a handful of individuals, the institution as a whole is failing the public through both lack of funds and a misogynistic culture.

[Relevanceiskey]

@ChilliBandit

If police officers cannot accept that police culture is an issue and is fostering public animosity towards them it will only get worse, which will make policing harder. Policing in a democracy only works with consent from the public. Listen when people tell you they do not trust you and work on it. Do not just jump on the defensive.

With all due respect, unless you have been a police officer, you have NO IDEA about police culture, and are just jumping on the back of everyone else's shitty opinions from the media and a "pal who once called the police because they were in the middle of getting kidnapped but the police told her to just run away because they were busy". Of course the police can be sexist and racist, the whole of society is. And believe it or not - police officers are just members of society. Tackle it from the root, ie the whole country.

[ChilliBandit]

@Nicknacky

I know what the issues are. There are no officers to take calls. But I can’t change that so I will look after the ones I DO have. And if the public have a problem with that, that’s on them.

I can comment on any part of that posters post that I want to. I can’t fix the root problems.

But no one was criticising YOUR officers, they are sharing their own criticisms based on their experiences of the police as a whole. The issues aren’t just the lack of resources. Most people accept the police aren’t properly funded.

[Relevanceiskey]

@ChilliBandit

You haven’t read my posts at all have you. I’ve said I criticise them where appropriate and praise them at other times. Unfortunately whilst I can praise a handful of individuals, the institution as a whole is failing the public through both lack of funds and a misogynistic culture.

@ChilliBandit a handful of individuals? Out of the thousands and thousands of officers? Seriously? There is no helping you. My husband despite us being on UC took a couple of kids to get a domino's the other day as they attended a call and the situation was pretty dismal. Only had half a loaf of bread in all the cupboards. Didn't see that in the paper, why not???? Ah yes because its the norm and happens more than you would like to believe. Not to mention it doesn't suck in people like you finding a reason to hate on things

[ChilliBandit]

@Relevanceiskey

With all due respect, unless you have been a police officer, you have NO IDEA about police culture, and are just jumping on the back of everyone else's shitty opinions from the media and a "pal who once called the police because they were in the middle of getting kidnapped but the police told her to just run away because they were busy". Of course the police can be sexist and racist, the whole of society is. And believe it or not - police officers are just members of society. Tackle it from the root, ie the whole country.

No if you actually read my comments you’d see I’m basing it on my own personal experience dealing with the police (not being arrested I hasten to add before you accuse me of being a bitter criminal) and being related to a fair few of them and listening to their experiences and (shudder) banter. Are you a police officer or are you basing it all on your husband?

[stillvicarinatutu]

I've never found it misogynistic, or racist . We have a Muslim woman who wears a hijab on shift .

And I always enjoyed the good natured humour and banter on shift between the men and women - we were fairly evenly split 50/50 men / women on my last shift . I was never treated differently, and I certainly didn't see any discrimination against women victims . 🤷🏻‍♀️. There were always lazy cops who rather than ask how to do something they didn't know how to would try and get out of it - but I think that happens in all working life . You need a strong Sgt who can say "no do xyz. " I've been lucky there .

[LakieLady]

But if you do want to 'help yourself' then you will also need support to do that. And in many parts of life right now it has gone. Surestart, which helpd parents learn how to parent better, keping kids out of crime and parents out of court, is just one example, which this government has trashed. Addicts need help to get off drugs, that help is not there any more for most people. Mental health support for those in crisis- often hundreds of miles away from their families if they can get any at all.

You've hit the nail on the head there @willingtolearn .

In trying to save money by cutting the funds for dealing with all sorts of social problems, successive govts have created longstanding and deepseated problems that lead to more expensive interventions and huge social costs.

It's a false economy.

[Relevanceiskey]

@ChilliBandit

No if you actually read my comments you’d see I’m basing it on my own personal experience dealing with the police (not being arrested I hasten to add before you accuse me of being a bitter criminal) and being related to a fair few of them and listening to their experiences and (shudder) banter. Are you a police officer or are you basing it all on your husband?

@ChilliBandit of course you only see the unemotional and unattached bits, you don't have any family members close enough to open up to you about the shit bits. I used to watch my dad come home after having been assaulted AGAIN. He's currently got a bounty on his head for arresting a gang member. I literally live in fear that I'll get a call regarding one of my loved ones. Every single time my husband goes to work i imagine getting a knock at the door and how id react. Because they attend a host of hostile situations every week. But oh yes, the media told me to hate them so now I hate them all.

[ChilliBandit]

@stillvicarinatutu

I've never found it misogynistic, or racist . We have a Muslim woman who wears a hijab on shift .

And I always enjoyed the good natured humour and banter on shift between the men and women - we were fairly evenly split 50/50 men / women on my last shift . I was never treated differently, and I certainly didn't see any discrimination against women victims . 🤷🏻‍♀️. There were always lazy cops who rather than ask how to do something they didn't know how to would try and get out of it - but I think that happens in all working life . You need a strong Sgt who can say "no do xyz. " I've been lucky there .

Omg you didn’t just do a “I can’t be racist I have a black friend…” about the police did you? I just can’t anymore with this.

[Relevanceiskey]

@ChilliBandit

Omg you didn’t just do a “I can’t be racist I have a black friend…” about the police did you? I just can’t anymore with this.

@ChilliBandit you are a joke. Accusing the police of not listening to the public but YOU aren't listening to what they are saying. Bore off with this, it's tiring. When the country descends into chaos and we have a police force that resembles that of rest of the world I can not wait to see people like you wish for the old one back. I'm out 👋

[bloodyplanes]

All the services pass the buck to the others!! Mental health patient buck passing goes on between the ambulance service and the police all the time, back and forth constantly until they are finally dumped on already massively overstretched A&E! Having worked for the ambulance service i can say that the sheer amount of mental health patients is completely overwhelming for all the services.

[BenCoopersSupportWren]

Are we to believe you’re closely connected to the police yet have never heard of “non-crime hate incidents”? There have been over 120,000 of them recorded to date, often against people who have no clue their name is now on a national database.

[stillvicarinatutu]

No
Chilli
I didnt. Our force is by no means perfect but they do try to recruit the demographic that we police . We have Asian cops , black cops, white cops , women cops , gay women cops , gay men cops . That's just a fact . A statement on how it is . I've never found the people I've worked with to be racist , homophobic, misogynistic, or any other things the media would like to say . Should I lie to make you feel a bit better?

[stillvicarinatutu]

I wonder if the FWR board (echo chamber) could stop trying to derail my thread with mots more bull about non crime hate related incidents etc - there is a full thread of 1000 posts in the FWR board that pretty much covers all that . Are all the posters on the fwr board anti police ? Cos newsflash ! Im a woman . (I know yku all kept referring to me as he and we're determined to give me a sex change but facts are facts .

[Nicknacky]

@ChilliBandit

But no one was criticising YOUR officers, they are sharing their own criticisms based on their experiences of the police as a whole. The issues aren’t just the lack of resources. Most people accept the police aren’t properly funded.

Yet the poster I quoted was referencing seeing an officer getting a coffee. So they can refer to one particular officer but I’m not likewise able to mention mine?

[stillvicarinatutu]

You know all the criticisms about low conviction number for rape etc are not the police not investigating them - the cps have to say whether to bring charges or not . That's the crown prosecution service. A lawyer . Who looks at what chance there is on realistically getting a conviction in court .

The issue with those jobs is there are only 2 people there - and if they not admit sex took place , but one says it wasn't consensual and the other says it was - how do we prove it ? That's why the cos have very low numbers running with rapes . Because that will be the next thing that gets shouted about . So thought I'd preempt it . It would be nice stay loosely on topic .

[stillvicarinatutu]

That should say "do admit sex took place " btw

[RosaGallica]

Some of what are now called ‘mental health’ incidents will be what were called simply ‘crimes’ back in the day. Although I know of some people in the process of attempting suicide who were be picked up and sectioned by police, so by no means all.

[BenCoopersSupportWren]

@stillvicarinatutu

I wonder if the FWR board (echo chamber) could stop trying to derail my thread with mots more bull about non crime hate related incidents etc - there is a full thread of 1000 posts in the FWR board that pretty much covers all that . Are all the posters on the fwr board anti police ? Cos newsflash ! Im a woman . (I know yku all kept referring to me as he and we're determined to give me a sex change but facts are facts .

It’s not a derail to point out that examples of things like an officer rocking up to “check someone’s thinking” over a tweeted limerick is not an effective use of police resources in a thread discussing how police resources are being deployed in the wrong areas!

[stillvicarinatutu]

Bencooper

I agree . Trying to police peoples perfectly legal opinions is ridiculous, futile and wrong . Can we agree on that . I agree . I've said that numerous times on the other thread that's now full .

[BenCoopersSupportWren]

We absolutely can agree on that. Other posters, at least one claiming to be closely involved with the police, were disbelieving that it happens so I gave them the information they were lacking.