The weak blue line

A REPORT by the National Audit Office blames funding and staff cuts for the fact that police arrest rates and public satisfaction levels are on the slide.

While this may be partly true, the priorities of some chief constables are also highly questionable – focusing on such areas as internet hate crime and historic sex offences instead of getting officers on the streets.

Durham Constabulary has shown the way forward. It refused to cut frontline staff and – surprise, surprise – now has the best detection rates in the country. This is a lesson other police chiefs should heed.