Police attend less than 40% of anti-social incidents
AROUND six in 10 anti-social behaviour reports made in Leicestershire over the last three years went unattended by a police officer, according to figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats.
The party said anti-social behaviour (ASB) has been allowed to “run rampant” and called for significant reforms to make communities across the country feel safer.
Leicestershire police recorded reports of 36,436 ASB incidents between 2019 and 2021, according to the figures.
Of those, 14,326 (39.3%) led to a police officer visiting the scene of the incident.
It means that over the three-year period, 22,110 reported incidents went unattended by an officer.
Across 34 police forces that responded to freedom of information requests, 1.6 million of 3.6 million reported ASB incidents were attended by an officer at the scene (44.8%).
That means around two million were unattended.
And 20 forces recorded a police officer attending fewer than half of reported ASB incidents.
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey accused the Government of being “soft on crime” and “letting our communities down”. said: “Too many people feel unsafe just walking down their own streets, because the Conservatives have let anti-social behaviour run rampant. “For years this Government has failed to give police forces the officers or resources to tackle this scourge properly.” The party said it would improve community policing and invest an extra £500 million a year in
He youth services.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council said “unprecedented demand”
on the police meant they often have to prioritise their resources towards the cases of greatest risk and harm.
An NPCC spokesman added: “Each case will be individually assessed when a report comes to the control room.
“In some cases there may not be enough evidence, intelligence or reports of vulnerability for police to act on immediately.”
He added that people have a right to live their lives free from intimidation, and that it was important for the police, councils and other agencies to work together to combat ASB.
The Home Office was contacted for comment.
In some cases there may not be enough evidence, intelligence or reports of vulnerability for police to act on immediately NPCC