The police need to get the basics right

Forces face ever-growing demands and algorithms may help them prioritise. But victims deserve clarity

We ask a lot of the police. The statistics tell us that, overall, crime is stable and the chances of being a victim of crime are low. But underlying the numbers is a substantial change in the nature of police work and it is putting pressure on forces. More crimes are internetenabled, and in addition victims of so-called hidden crimes, such as domestic violence, sexual assault and modern slavery, are coming forward in increasing numbers.

The terrorist risk has escalated and evolved. We have also seen the emergence of “county lines” drug gangs and are dealing with the worst spike in serious violence for a decade.

For all this, the police deserve more than just our thanks. We are determined to support forces to meet these changing demands.

As a country, we are investing an additional £460 million in the police system this year, including money raised through the council tax precept, and local forces are starting to recruit again.

We have created the National Crime Agency to improve our response to organised crime. We launched a Serious Violence Strategy, pledged a £200 million youth endowment fund for the prevention of violent crime, and are creating new police powers with the Offensive Weapons Bill.

This feels like a watershed moment in British policing, long recognised as among the best in the world. While the landscape of crime has changed, the basic expectations on the police remain the same.

The public know our police are under pressure. But we also know public services are run on the money we pay in tax and these finite resources need to be prioritised and allocated appropriately.

The same goes for victims and the service they expect from the police. We expect the police to take all reports of crime seriously and for each case to receive an initial investigation. Such assessments should be timely and thorough and consider a range of factors, such as quality of evidence, harm caused to the victims and threat to the wider public. Some may use algorithms, matrices or points-based systems – these are operational matters for the police.

But any decision not to investigate further must be communicated properly to the victims. The same is true for cases where an investigation is closed shortly after the police record a crime, as it is for cases when an investigation has progressed to an advanced stage but ended without charge.

The Government’s Code of Practice for Victims of Crime is quite clear. Victims are entitled to an explanation within five working days of a decision not to investigate. They are entitled to be advised when an investigation has concluded with no person being charged and to have the reasons for this explained to them.

The new Victims Strategy also sets out that we will consult on a revised code and on a Victims Law to underpin it.

At the Home Office, we support the police and hold them to account. We also want to empower citizens. To improve accountability, we created PCCS. They help set priorities, hold chief constables to account and are answerable to local electorates.

We are giving the public more information through the Police.uk website, including local crime maps and long overdue details on the £1.4 billion held in reserves by forces.

And we have also strengthened Her Majesty’s Inspectorate, whose independent reports are available for all to see and clearly state how effective each force is when it comes to initial investigations.

However complex and demanding modern policing has become, we need to remember that policing is a public service and it must get the basics right. That includes the responsibility to communicate outcomes to the communities they serve.

Trust has always been integral to our model of policing and the police must recognise that a key part of their relationship with the public is explaining themselves clearly and credibly.