Find vandal? You’ll have to do it, police tell car owner
WHEN his car was vandalised, former PC Tony McCluskey expected a prompt police response to track down the culprit.
But he was astonished to be told by a Police Scotland call-handler he needed to gather evidence himself in order for officers to investigate.
Mr McCluskey, who left the force three years ago after 13 years, said no officer came out, no statement was taken and no attempt was made to look at his vehicle.
Yesterday, he criticised Police Scotland for effectively ignoring the crime in Hawick, Roxburghshire.
The row comes after the Scottish Police Federation, representing rank-and-file officers, admitted earlier this week that the single force is failing the public, as it condemned cost-cutting reforms.
Mr McCluskey said: ‘We keep being told that crime is at a record low, so why are police resources not being deployed when it does happen? If you do not deal with low-level crime, it will escalate.’
His car was also vandalised two years ago and he said that time it took police a fortnight to investigate – by which time he said CCTV footage had been wiped.
This time, after reporting his car’s rear wiper had been ripped off, the 44-year-old said: ‘We received a text saying it had been recorded for information and then, 24 hours later, another text saying it was all but done and here was the reference. As I had 13 years in the police and thought this wasn’t right, I called Police Scotland and spoke to a call-handler, who emailed my request to speak with an officer, who then called me the next day.
‘This officer, who had no local knowledge whatsoever, advised me that, as there were no lines of inquiry, Police Scotland would not instigate an investigation into the damage to my car. If I could establish for them a line of inquiry through my own investigation and then let them know, then they might.’
He believes the ‘do-it-yourself’ attitude puts the public at risk, saying: ‘It could be dangerous for the public to conduct their own investigations.’
He added: ‘When I was a police officer, I would have interviewed the complainer, checked the damage and gone door to door asking neighbours if they had seen anything.’
A spokesman for the force said: ‘Police Scotland deal with around three-and-a-half million calls from the public annually via 101 and 999.
‘To help us manage that demand, a grading system is used to prioritise resources and respond appropriately to crimes and incidents reported to us. When there is scope for inquiry, local officers will always investigate.’
But Scottish Tory justice spokesman Douglas Ross said: ‘The public expect police to look into things when they report an incident.’
He added: ‘If the police refuse to take these crimes seriously, it can only lead to an escalation of incidents, as offenders realise they’ll be allowed to get away with it.’