TIME TO STOP THE STUNTS, POLICE TOLD
As damning report says forces are letting crooks off hook and top officer hits out...
WATCHDOGS have accused police of failing in their basic duties – amid alarm over bizarre publicity stunts by officers.
Inspectors raised ‘serious concerns’ about how gang- masters smuggling illegal workers to the UK are routinely not brought to justice due to police shortcomings.
Last night, amid a growing row over police gimmicks such as painting nails to highlight modern slavery, one top officer broke ranks to brand them an ‘embarrassment’.
Senior police in Avon and Somerset were heavily criticised last week over the nail painting stunt by male and female officers.
Police tweeted about ‘pampering’ themselves before shifts, and posted photos of their lurid
nails out on the beat. Another stunt, in South Wales, involved staff wearing high heels on duty, with dozens of uniformed officers strutting across Cardiff to raise awareness of domestic violence.
Deputy Chief Constable Simon Chesterman wrote online: ‘The issues are serious and real, but this is an embarrassment.’ He added a ‘thumbs down’ symbol.
Colleagues, added that the gimmick made them a ‘bloody laughing stock’. Another said: ‘We don’t help ourselves.’
It came as Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary warned in a damning leaked report that human trafficking cases are being shelved without proper investigation. An inspection of forces across the country found ‘wholly inadequate’ investigations are allowing gangs behind modern slavery rings to escape justice.
There are an estimated 13,000 victims of forced labour, sexual exploitation and domestic servitude in Britain.
The report said: ‘We found that investigations are being closed prematurely, with lines of enquiry still open. In some cases, victims and witnesses were not even spoken to by the police … Victims are left unprotected while offenders are not brought to justice, leaving them free to continue to exploit people.’
HMIC said it was ‘unacceptable’ that some senior officers in the ten unnamed forces it inspected ‘expressed a reluctance to “turn over the stone” and proactively look for modern slavery and human trafficking’, because of concerns about the scale of the problem they may find.
Many suspected victims were deported without being properly interviewed by officers. This meant vital information was missed, the report said. HMIC inspectors warned that even when officers were given details that could lead to the sus- pected ringleaders, they failed to investigate properly. ‘We found cases closed with major lines of inquiry outstanding, including when there were named suspects,’ inspectors said.
Tory MP Andrew Rosindell said: ‘This worrying report shows exactly why police chiefs should be targeting their resources on catching criminals rather than silly stunts. Gangmasters will only be caught if officers are allowed to spend their time doing their job, rather than being encouraged to engage in gimmicks.’
HMIC highlighted the example of an Eastern European woman who said she had been forced into prostitution in her home country, trafficked, and forced into prostitution again. The report said she gave her guards’ first names and the full name of the person responsible for forc- ing her into prostitution the first time, and ‘mentioned at least one other woman was being held in similar circumstances’.
HMIC found officers did not investigate until four months later. The report said delays ‘potentially mean the named individual is continuing to kidnap women’.
In another case, police were told of a man who said he had been made to work without pay for seven years by a boss who beat him. Inspectors found officers took no action until the man was assaulted seven months later.
After Mr Chesterman – responsible for firearms policing nationwide and based in the Civil Nuclear Constabulary – criticised the heels stunt, South Wales Assistant Chief Constable Richard Lewis said: ‘It was done in good faith and I support the officers involved.’