More than half of the UK’s population has little faith in the police as people have no confidence the police will investigate a car theft or a burglary.
Nealy on in 10 will not even bother calling 999 because they do not rely on the police response, those aged over 65, 54% say they have no confidence in the police.
A poll published by the Liberal Democrats shows that 46% of people are not confident the police will turn up if their house is burgled or will even investigate the crime properly.
49% have no confidence the police will turn and investigate a car theft properly and 41% have no confidence in the police if they were assaulted in the street.
The shock polling also revealed that 8% will not call 999 even if they needed to do so as the have no confidence in the police.
Read more related news:
The Met and Essex Police chiefs warn of possible cuts to police numbers
23% will not bother calling the police as they take too long to arrive and 36% don’t bother as they believe the police do not take an incident seriously or have the time or resources.
Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson, Lisa Smart MP said, “These findings are scandalous – but with unsolved crime rates remaining sky-high, it is difficult to find them shocking.
“This crisis in confidence is a direct consequence of years of neglect and mismanagement from the previous Conservative government.
“They decimated frontline policing and left our communities to pay the price.
“People deserve to feel confident that if they do fall victim to crime, the police will turn up and properly investigate.
“The new government must act urgently to restore the public’s trust in policing.
“That requires a return to proper community policing – keeping our communities safe and reducing crime with more bobbies on the beat.”
Former Police and Crime Commissioner Festus Akinbusoye said, “Unfortunately, what we are seeing is a situation where the scale of demand has far-outstripped the availability of resources, despite the increase in officer numbers since 2019. However, the impact of the previous austerity years are still being felt.
“This is why it is imperative that the current government goes further in building on the growth in officer numbers, by targeting retention, increase in police staff capabilities, and ensure police are squarely focused on real crimes.”
A National Police Chiefs’ Council spokesperson said, “We remain resolutely committed to our attendance policy as this is an important first step in improving detection rates and bringing more offenders to justice.
“Burglary is an incredibly invasive crime which we know has a significant impact on victims and this is why in March 2023, police forces across England and Wales implemented a new attendance policy to ensure police attendance at every reported residential dwelling burglary.
“Not every burglary report is the same and like every effective emergency service, police control rooms across England and Wales must assess the threat, harm and risk associated with every call they receive to ensure attendance is effectively prioritised.
“The focus of initial attendance at residential burglaries is about capturing best evidence and supporting victims of crime but there are occasions when an immediate response may not be possible due to resourcing or appropriate if the resident is away or does not want us to attend.
“The NPCC worked closely with the College of Policing to develop and produce new best practice guidance informed by police officers and staff across the UK, as well as a range of partners which provides a comprehensive toolkit covering all aspects of initial attendance and investigation.”
