The Daily Telegraph

Victim of crime? Gather your own evidence, then report it, say police

- By Martin Evans CRIME CORRESPOND­ENT

BRITAIN’S biggest police force is urging people to report crimes online and even collect their own evidence, after figures revealed that thousands of people were abandoning 999 calls before they get a response.

The Metropolit­an Police is rolling out a service that will let people report serious offences using their mobile phone, tablet or computer rather than having to speak to a control centre.

The system is intended to speed things up and make reporting a crime more convenient. But it comes at a time when there is mounting evidence to suggest the current 999 and 101 nonemergen­cy services are failing to cope with the volume of calls. It has emerged that call handlers are so stretched that many people simply hang up before their issue has been dealt with.

New figures reveal that more than 42,000 people who dialled 999 last year to ask for a police response failed to complete the call. The numbers were even worse for 101 non-emergency calls, with almost 860,000 people giving up before they got a response.

Data released under the Freedom of Informatio­n Act, showed that more than 30,000 calls had taken more than 16 minutes to answer.

While Scotland Yard said there were a number of reasons why a call might be abandoned, including a loss of signal, it will lead to concern that many people are simply giving up when attempting to report low-level crime.

This week, a report by Her Majesty’s Inspectora­te of Constabula­ry and Fire & Rescue Services identified problems with a number of 999 services and urged police forces to find innovative ways to interact with the public. The new service will allow people to report low priority crimes with call handlers assessing each case within 45 minutes. ♦ The head of Scotland Yard has said teenage offenders should face “harsher and more effective” prison sentences to reduce crime. Cressida Dick said the policy of trying to keep adolescent­s out of jail meant there was currently no effective deterrent.

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