Bobby on the beat is history
One in three people haven’t seen a single police officer on streets in the last year
ONE in three people has not seen a bobby on their beat over the past year, according to a new survey.
A further 23 per cent had witnessed a police officer on patrol in their neighbourhood only ‘once or twice’ in that period.
The figures, based on answers from 26,000 people across England and Wales, will raise fresh fears over the death of the beat bobby.
Chief constables jettisoned around 17,000 officers over the past six years as the Government battled to balance the books. They have been criticised for failing to tackle 21st century threats while still giving the public something they value – officers on the street.
Last year, Sara Thornton, who leads the National Police Chiefs’ Council, and Craig Mackey, Met deputy commissioner, said the era of routine patrols was at an end.
But police forces across England and Wales still receive annual central Government funding of around £7.5billion and were spared further cuts in last year’s spending review.
The survey was carried out on behalf of HM Inspector of Constabulary, which wanted to assess public opinion towards the police.
It found that 36 per cent of people had not seen a police officer on patrol over the previous year.
And 26 per cent saw a police officer in a car in their neighbourhood at least once a week.
In general, the survey found that three- quarters felt safe. But ratings of the quality of policing still trail most other local public services such as fire and rescue teams and schools.
Half said they felt ‘fairly’ safe and 24 per cent ‘very safe’, but 5 per cent felt ‘very’ unsafe. Those who were insecure at night were mostly from poor areas and disproportionately young or from black and minority groups, or both.
The poll also found most people were aware of cyber crime but knew little about it. Nationally, 62 per cent do not think crime is much of an issue, while for ten per cent it isn’t a problem at all. But a quarter call it a ‘big problem’.
The report was seized on by the Police Federation, which represents 122,000 officers.
Chairman Steve White said: ‘ As evidenced by the survey, one of the crucial ways to impact these feelings of the public is by seeing their local officer on the street. Unfortunately, the results echo what we have been saying for the past few years – that there aren’t enough bobbies on the beat.’ Mr White also called on forces to be more transparent about their budgets. Chief Con Simon Cole, of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said ‘targeted police patrol[s]’ can help ‘solve problems and prevent crime’. But he added that ‘people are living more of their lives online’ so forces invest in web services.
Mike Cunningham, of the police inspectorate, said: ‘We will continue to work with forces to improve the way in which they engage with members of the public.’
A Home Office spokesman said crime had fallen by more than a quarter since 2010. He added: ‘Ultimately, decisions on the size and composition of a police force’s workforce are for individual chief officers and Police and Crime Commissioners.’
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