Police (at best) taking ages. How to hold them meaningfully to account?

BeenThere0 · 2024-05-17T20:25:41+00:00

A friend has been a victim of crime (that included assault), but having reported it to the police, and chased repeatedly (for months), the police at best are take ages to respond - and even when they respond, it's only indicative of very slow progress. They already know the suspects, and have a fair amount of evidence against them. Even after the victim emailed to complain, requesting to be called by the inspector or a sergeant, no such callback took place. The chief Constable, it turns out, isn't easily contactable either (or is there a way to get him to reply at least? Apparently someone just replies 'on his behalf' basically saying the Chief Constable isn't available). It's apparently a nightmare. Did you find an effective way to get the police to act speedily, be accountable, get in touch with updates, and to get the chief Constable to stop hiding??

HelpDD · 17/05/2024 21:26

Write to mp

endofthelinefinally · 17/05/2024 21:27

You could look up your local police and crime commissioner and write to them.
Also contact your MP.

Original poster

BeenThere0 · 17/05/2024 21:28

Thanks @HelpDD . The MP also kindly contacted them on the constituent's behalf (according to the MP) but it still made zero improvement to the police's behaviour

OP posts:

Original poster

BeenThere0 · 17/05/2024 21:30

Thanks @endofthelinefinally , yes, the police & crime commissioner route seems the only one left, maybe to put in a complaint about the Chief Constable? (as the latter is apparently not replying)

OP posts:

Daisy12Maisie · 17/05/2024 21:35

It's not the fault of the individual officer. They all have unmanageable workloads and are under huge pressure. Write to your mp or start a petition about the police getting more funding so they can actually do their jobs.

OutingPosts · 17/05/2024 21:58

Go back to the MP. DH got a call from the Chief Constable's office as soon as ours contacted him.

LittleRedYarny · 17/05/2024 22:01

Also try contacting the Professional Standards Department, if you feel that there has been a failures/missed opportunities during the investigation.

AgreeableDragon · 17/05/2024 22:30

Daisy12Maisie · 17/05/2024 21:35

It's not the fault of the individual officer. They all have unmanageable workloads and are under huge pressure. Write to your mp or start a petition about the police getting more funding so they can actually do their jobs.

Exactly this! Police officers are being run ragged each day. They are seriously understaffed, and over worked.
A significant amount of their time is taken up dealing with mental health calls, which is not what they should be doing but there is often no one else to take the call.

If you have a tory MP get onto them and demand they are accountable.
If you have an MP from another party ask what they will do to solve this massive (national) problem.

Kinneddar · 17/05/2024 22:45

The reporting officers are probably as frustrated as your friend is. People really don't appreciate how short staffed we are. Last week 3 of my crews spent the entire 10 hour shift sitting at hospitals awaiting MH assessments for people who threatened to self harm

That meant we were down to 4 cars for calls. 2 got tied up with a domestic incident so then we had 2 crews to deal with every call in the area. One of them had meant to be on enquiries for the first half of the shift. That got shelved. So the enquiries they had plan were delayed & then they picked up even more

They get no time to stop for a break - all those smart arses who take photos of cops in Greggs or Tesco dont realise thats probably the only food theyll get in 10 hours & itll be eaten en route to calls. They even make a private radio broadcast at times asking if they can go to the call I've just given them after they've stopped off at the station for a pee!!!

Start at the bottom. Get the name, email address and a note of the next time the reporting officer is on duty. Email them & ask for an update. Give them a few days to respond and if they don't, call 101 & ask for the name of their Sgt, when they're next on duty and either get them to call you or call back when they're on duty. If that doesn't work escalate to the Inspector or Divisional Commander. Email so you have a trail of your requests etc

Contacting the CC is pointless. They won't get involved.

Elclr · 17/05/2024 22:56

Kinneddar · 17/05/2024 22:45

The reporting officers are probably as frustrated as your friend is. People really don't appreciate how short staffed we are. Last week 3 of my crews spent the entire 10 hour shift sitting at hospitals awaiting MH assessments for people who threatened to self harm

That meant we were down to 4 cars for calls. 2 got tied up with a domestic incident so then we had 2 crews to deal with every call in the area. One of them had meant to be on enquiries for the first half of the shift. That got shelved. So the enquiries they had plan were delayed & then they picked up even more

They get no time to stop for a break - all those smart arses who take photos of cops in Greggs or Tesco dont realise thats probably the only food theyll get in 10 hours & itll be eaten en route to calls. They even make a private radio broadcast at times asking if they can go to the call I've just given them after they've stopped off at the station for a pee!!!

Start at the bottom. Get the name, email address and a note of the next time the reporting officer is on duty. Email them & ask for an update. Give them a few days to respond and if they don't, call 101 & ask for the name of their Sgt, when they're next on duty and either get them to call you or call back when they're on duty. If that doesn't work escalate to the Inspector or Divisional Commander. Email so you have a trail of your requests etc

Contacting the CC is pointless. They won't get involved.

Edited

This. This is the main reason I left.

Be angry for your friend all you like, but the likelihood is it's not that the officer doesn't want to investigate. Chances are if they are a response officer they don't have the time to.

Essentially, if you are not in immediate and imminent danger right at that second. You will always be pushed to the back of the workload because someone needs them more.

A sad and sorry state of affairs.

Hereyoume · 17/05/2024 23:40

Call their standards department. Make an official complaint about misconduct.

Take the name of the officer they speak with, and also let that officer know THEY will be included in any subsequent complaints if your friend isn't contacted by the IOC.

OhHelloMiss · 17/05/2024 23:57

When did the crime take place?

Kinneddar · 18/05/2024 00:44

Call their standards department. Make an official complaint about misconduct

It's not bloody misconduct. It's not enough cops available to give the public the service they deserve.

Yes it's not good enough but it could be one of 30 cases that cops dealing with. PSD are not going to treat it as misconduct

AgreeableDragon · 18/05/2024 11:19

Hereyoume · 17/05/2024 23:40

Call their standards department. Make an official complaint about misconduct.

Take the name of the officer they speak with, and also let that officer know THEY will be included in any subsequent complaints if your friend isn't contacted by the IOC.

This is an UTTERLY ridiculous response which will take up more precious time from the officers, as well as putting them under extra psychological pressure because now they have to go through the complaints process!!

PBandJ111 · 18/05/2024 11:22

Who on earth would be a police officer these days…. Seriously…. Police don’t resolve because they are understaffed and overworked, and frankly get way too much shit and everyone wants them vilified. Where’s the same response/anger for the NHS? Waiting lists are through the roof but no ones slagging off nurses and doctors and escalating that to the media/MPs.