A stark report by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary said overstretched officers are busy staffing front counters, processing prisoners and guarding crime scenes.
So lets hope David Munro – our new Police and Crime Commissioner can – bring our bobbies back on the streets of our towns and villages?
In the meantime across Waverley’s towns and village if you dial 999 to call an ambulance don’t be too surprised if a fire Engine turns up – complete with firemen…followed closely by…
…an ambulance and paramedics!
A group of Firemen told the Waverley Web they are now being called out to aid ambulance crews some of whom are out picking up drunks!
Cops can no longer spend much time working in communities our faithful British bobbies now spend just half their working hours on the beat following years of brutal Tory cuts, a watchdog reveals.
A stark report by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) said our overstretched cops are no longer able to spend much time preventing crime because they are busy staffing front counters, processing prisoners and guarding crime scenes, HMIC said.
More than a 18,000 frontline cops have been axed since David Cameron came to power in 2010, along with a similar number of back office police staff and in Surrey there are plans to cut back office posts by another 150.
Many bobbies now say they spend just 50 per cent of their time out and about on the streets, HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoe Billingham revealed. ” they spend 50 per cent of time out and about on streets, the rest of the time they are tucked away.Doing worthy stuff no doubt – but not visible, not doing their core role.”
She said Britain risks “sleepwalking” back to the days of 1980s-style policing, before Labour introduced thousands of neighbourhood cops to work with local communities,claiming this could lead to rising crime and anti-social behaviour, and make it harder to spot potential terrorists. “I need to raise a warning flag,” she said.
“Frontline neighbourhood police officers have told us repeatedly that they are being pulled from their vitally important preventative work in communities to fulfil other duties, like guarding crime scenes, spending time in stations investigating crimes or staffing police station front counters.
“Losing our eyes and ears in the community is only likely to hamper good performance in preventing crime.” Police budgets were slashed by 25 per cent between 2010 and 2015, and further cuts are planned.
Some forces budgets were sashed by 25% Labour’s shadow policing minister Jack Dromey said: “The police are now spread so thinly that they are struggling to act as ‘eyes and ears’ on our streets – undermining, just when national security is at risk, efforts to counter the threat we face from terrorism.“It is the worst possible time to slash bobbies on the beat.”
HMIC also identified “endemic” delays of up to a year in extracting and analysing evidence from mobile phones and tablets warning many forces are poor at investigating crimes and supporting vulnerable victims.
“It’s extremely concerning that in so many areas the police are failing to identify, assess or support the most vulnerable victims of crime,” said Mark Castle, chief executive of the Victim Support charity.
Overall more than a third of the 43 police forces in England and Wales – 18 in total – were deemed to “require improvement” by HMIC.Another 24 were rated “good” and just one – Durham – was “outstanding.” Surrey Police is among the 18 requiring improvement.
It also recognises that is current workforce model is “unaffordable” so is reviewing how it provides neighbourhood and emergency response policing. Zoe Billingham said: “To prepare for this change the force’s existing operating model has to deliver the same level of services with significantly fewer staff.”
Here’s Waverley’s Data.
