The policing watchdog has warned that public trust in the police has reached an all-time low, and that time is running out to restore it. His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary Andy Cooke has urged chief constables to focus on crimes that matter most to people, get the basics right in investigations and restore the abandoned policy of neighbourhood policing. Cooke says they should be forced to do all of this by law – and he is demanding new legal powers to make chiefs follow his rules. He also wants a role in their appointment.
Cooke has stated that there are clear and systemic failings throughout the police service in England and Wales and, due to a series of dreadful scandals, public trust in the police is hanging by a thread. He believes there is only a small window of opportunity to repair it. Repeated calls for change over the years have largely been ignored or implemented too slowly by forces. For example, since 2016, a considerable number of recommendations were made to address police officers abusing their position with victims for sexual purposes, but not enough forces took meaningful action, leading to the current situation.
This lack of action has made it too easy for the wrong people to join the police and the wrong people to stay in the police. Cooke acknowledged that most officers were dedicated, brave and committed, but insisted that major reform is needed. He further stated that an underfunded mental health service has led to police officers often having to deal with patients when they should be fighting crime. Last year, police attended 600,000 mental health incidents. He believes that the role of the police needs to be more tightly defined.
Despite the significant demand to protect the most vulnerable, victims who aren’t vulnerable should still receive a good level of service from the police when they need it. The police exist to serve all citizens equally. Cooke described the criminal justice system as “dysfunctional” and revealed that in October last year, the backlog of crown court cases was the highest ever recorded. In too many cases, victims lose confidence in the system and withdraw from the process entirely. He believes forces need to show professionalism, get the basics right when it comes to investigating crime, and respond correctly when someone dials 999.
Surveys have shown that public confidence in the police has dropped to below 50%, with figures dropping in two years from 75%. Cooke believes that people are genuinely safer than before, as most crime is down, but they do not feel safer. Policing needs to be seen as effective. He described neighbourhood policing as the “building block of policing” in England and Wales. By providing an effective neighbourhood policing presence, communities get the opportunity to voice their concerns and offer their opinions about local priorities. This helps police and their partner organisations, such as local authorities, to work with the public to problem-solve and prevent crime.
Government public spending cuts led to a reduction in police community support officers (PCSOs) from 16,377 in 2010 to 8,263. Cooke believes that the provision of an effective neighbourhood policing presence can help the police and their partner organisations to work with the public to problem-solve and prevent crime.
When he was appointed last year, Cooke criticised forces for not dealing correctly with basic, volume crimes such as domestic burglary. A report earlier this week revealed that all forces were now attending every reported home burglary, but another said that officers had failed to solve a single burglary in almost half of the areas in England and Wales over the past three years.
Cooke believes that there are systemic failings throughout the police service in England and Wales. He is urging major reform to restore public trust in the police and is calling for new legal powers to make chiefs follow his rules. He is also demanding a role in their appointment. If significant changes are not made, the fundamental principle of policing by consent, upon which our police service is built, will be at risk. It is time for action rather than talking. The police need to focus on crimes that matter most to people and restore neighbourhood policing.
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