Don’t waste time watching CCTV say police
BRITAIN’S biggest police force has given up investigating minor crimes if gathering evidence means spending more than 20 minutes watching CCTV, it was revealed yesterday.
The instruction by the Metropolitan Police covers public order offences, shoplifting and minor assaults.
Officers have also been told to drop investigations into thousands of lower-level offences if no CCTV is available and many offences such as vandalism and theft will not be followed up if the cost of the damage or amount stolen is less than £50.
Scotland Yard’s new crime assessment policy, revealed following a Freedom of Information request, has been in effect since September.
The force says the policy will allow it to concentrate on major crime and is a response to budget cuts and staff shortages.
Officer numbers have fallen to their lowest level in more than a decade.
Deputy assistant commissioner Mark Simmons, said a further £400million in cuts is needed before 2020, despite rising gun crime, knife crime and sex offences. He said: “With the pressure on our resources it is not practical for our officers to spend a considerable amount of time looking into something where, for example, the value of damage or the item stolen is under £50.”
Homicide, firearm offences, hate crime, domestic violence and sexual assaults are among more than 25 crimes that must always be probed.
Other crimes are still being looked into but automatically ignored if they do not reach certain criteria.
The Yard says officers should use their judgment.
Crimes according to the criteria still to be pursued include the theft of government property, theft of war medals and similar items and theft of medical notes.