The police ignoring burglaries is simply criminal
AS A retired police officer, I am appalled the Met is no longer to investigate low-level crime (Mail). Quite how burglary can be viewed as unworthy of investigation is beyond me. It is a devastating crime and victims not only need support and reassurance, they also need on-thespot advice to prevent it happening again as burglars frequently return to the scene of their crime. And what of stores and shopkeepers plagued by thieves and anti-social behaviour? Have we reached the stage where hooded, masked thugs can walk into a shop and take whatever they want knowing this will not be of interest to police? If you’re walking along the street or quietly drinking in a pub and get a smack in the face from a thug for no apparent reason, are we saying that unless the injury is serious, don’t bother the police? Such assaults greatly affect the victim’s well-being. the public understand only too well the damage government cuts have done to policing. If the policy not to investigate low-level crime is followed by the Met, public confidence will wane and a significant gulf will develop with the public, who will rightly feel less secure. they will no longer bother reporting low-level offences, and in a couple of years’ time we’ll have the Met’s spin doctors proclaiming there has been a dramatic fall in burglary, theft and other so-called minor crime.
CHRIS HOBBS, London W7. HAVING spent 40 years working in the fingerprint department of the Met investigating all levels of crime using forensic techniques, I can warn of the folly of not investigating low-level crime, such as theft of motor vehicles and burglary. Investigating such crimes gives junior, less experienced officers the chance to hone their skills. It also provides the opportunity to take solved cases to court to gain confidence giving evidence. By ignoring volume crime, a scene examiner could find themselves at the scene of a rape or murder without having gained valuable experience dealing with less serious crime. I despair at this — criminals will get away with even more.
PHIL SOSKIN, Croxley Green, Herts.