Policing has changed though over recent times and its not able to go back to the crime fighting 'Gene Hunt' times of the past.
Domestic violence is a good example. In the past we would turn up to an incident and if there was an offence there, the suspect would be arrested. If there was no complaint/statement from the victim, the suspect would interviewed and released. Not a vast amount of time taken up by the officers. If it was 'just and argument' one person would be asked to leave the house for the night.
Now (from various 'lesson learned' type scenarios) we can't do that. In all events including the 'just an argument' scenario the victim has to be risk assessed which can take hours to do properly. If they come out as medium to high risk from this we have to put immediate safeguarding in place which could include transporting them out the area. Offences where the suspect has been arrested and there is no compliant isn't a simple write off any more. We have to put DVPN's in place (Domestic Violence Protection Notice). These can take all day to sort out as you have to amass all their domestic history, redact it all etc etc.
And this is all down to the attending officers to do - there is no one to simply hand this on to. So one incident has wiped the officers out for the day - may be longer.
So, now we have this process in place, do we go back to how it use to be.....?
Then we have all the missing from homes - often 'kids in care' who just haven't returned to the care home by the allotted time. The staff can't go chasing them so phone the police as a 'missing child'. Again they have to be risk assessed etc etc.
People in mental health crisis etc etc
Very quickly you lose your entire shift of officers. The other day at the start of a shift, from 25 emergency response officers starting, 18 were lost through safeguarding issues and hospital guards. 6 were lost to scenes, leaving one available - so even the missing from homes had to wait. And as for the handover incidents........
Do you want us to go back - or do you think we will be putting people at risk by doing so - and if we do go back, is society willing to accept that risk?
MarshaMelrose
The damaged windscreens - what people often do is not just take out the windscreen. They will throw the brick or iron bar at the 'A' pillar of the vehicle. This takes out the windscreen and damages the metal pillar so the windscreen can't simply be replaced. It has to go back to Ford, Peugeot to have the pillar replaced, welded, repainted etc etc. That's why its off the road for quite a while.
It happens to the brake lines - they won't just cut them in one place - but several places. Firework up the exhaust pipe - wont just be slipped inside. Its often altered so it has a longer fuse and rammed home to the back box and plugged, so it takes out most of the back of the vehicle.
We've lost loads through fire damage also using accelerants
Dragonskin
But if a victim phones to say they are being harassed by so called 'wrong think' posts on social media - do the police just ignore them? Or should we investigate to show the victim that the investigation presents no offences have been committed?
DdraigGoch
The assaults on the children, so an investigation has been completed by the officers and resulted in 2 arrested. For them to obtain a caution, they must have admitted the assault. The current government policy is to try and steer youngster away from courts and jail. So, what else could the police have done that would have been an acceptable outcome for you?
If there we no officers free at the time, they they couldn't attend straight away, but action was taken against the suspects.
MrsTerryPratchett
If it was a 'Pride' event, then it will have to be policed and those police officers tasked to police that event only - so they can't get diverted to other crimes that might be ongoing elsewhere. Most of these officers will have had their rest day cancelled to police it, so it will still leave the usual shift to police the rest of the district.