Lack of police presence

Stop and search was usual, now it causes uproar

Police numbers have been cut and the numbers are still low. Police stations closed, experienced officers leaving in droves, PCSOs cut who were at least a presence. Court backlogs means people not prosecuted and out on the street. Prisons are privatised and run for a profit, so no rehabilitation, education or training or treatment for mental health issues. Are we surprised about the rise in crime? Don't lay it at the door of the police.

We had a little girl of 9 stabbed to death here in Boston about 3 weeks ago, just playing in the street with her sister. The perpetrator`s family are now claiming mental illness, so he`ll probably get away with it.

I agree Annie. Statistically, the ethnicity of those who made most fuss about it is that of the majority of those on whom offensive weapons and/or drugs might be found. This is not a racist comment, merely a statement of fact.

Hellogirl, if this person is found to be mentally unfit to stand trial, or found not guilty due to insanity, he will be incarcerated in a secure mental hospital during Her Majesty’s pleasure. Rest assured he will not ‘get away with it’.

It beggers belief, like everyone else I an saddened and sickened at the level of violence in this country. Stabbings are on the news so regularly with victims ranging from children to the elderly. What in Gods name is going on !!!!?
Yes stiff penalties for offenders and of course very importantly for any one found on the streets carrying a knife .
I agree mental health services are not adequate! Is care in the community working ?

Knife carriers do not walk the streets with knife in hand

CoolCoco

Police numbers have been cut and the numbers are still low. Police stations closed, experienced officers leaving in droves, PCSOs cut who were at least a presence. Court backlogs means people not prosecuted and out on the street. Prisons are privatised and run for a profit, so no rehabilitation, education or training or treatment for mental health issues. Are we surprised about the rise in crime? Don't lay it at the door of the police.

Add to that the 20% decrease in real terms to police pay over the last decade and the relentless criticism from the government, media and general public, and I’m astounded that anyone still looks at the police service as a career option. Morale has never been so low.

Don’t blame the police. Austerity has devastated all public services that together had the best chance of reducing crime and successful prosecutions
Police, family support, drug/alcohol services/mental health etc the list is endless
We can afford to have effective public services. It’s shameful to have governments that reduce investment in its people

I live on the outskirts of Liverpool we have had no open police stations for over fifteen years. So it's no surprise that crime has increased there is no police presence at all on our streets. No deterrent at all meaning the obvious is a free for all who commit crimes.

Iam64

Don’t blame the police. Austerity has devastated all public services that together had the best chance of reducing crime and successful prosecutions
Police, family support, drug/alcohol services/mental health etc the list is endless
We can afford to have effective public services. It’s shameful to have governments that reduce investment in its people

thanks for such a sensible post. I get absolutely fed up with this 'lets talk' stuff regarding mental health. You cannot even access bog standard counselling, let alone anything else

If people vote for a low tax small state government, this is part of it, the police service is part of the state. Small state means smaller police service. This reduction in the police service was mainly carried out when Mrs May was home secretary.
Any time people like Jacob Reese Mogg talk about people keeping more of their own money, they mean a reduction in services provided by the state.

Iam64

Don’t blame the police. Austerity has devastated all public services that together had the best chance of reducing crime and successful prosecutions
Police, family support, drug/alcohol services/mental health etc the list is endless
We can afford to have effective public services. It’s shameful to have governments that reduce investment in its people

Totally agree with this. My son and his partner are both police officers and they spend a great deal of their time dealing with incidents which would definitely come under the 'mental health' banner rather than what the general public would think of as actual 'crimes'. Don't blame the actual officers - they are still very much committed to their roles and doing the best they can under very trying circumstances.

My son and his partner are both police officers and they spend a great deal of their time dealing with incidents which would definitely come under the 'mental health' banner rather than what the general public would think of as actual 'crimes'. Don't blame the actual officers - they are still very much committed to their roles and doing the best they can under very trying circumstances.

My son and his partner are also Police officers and say exactly the same. Too much of their time is spent shoring up the mental health services. The buck stops with them but they will always do their best.

Absolutely. And people with mental health issues can end up having to be put into cells for their own safety simply because there is nowhere else for them to go. This isn’t something any police officer wants to do, and can be devastating for the person concerned. Our public services and all their safety nets have been shredded.

It isn't the stiffness of the penalty that awaits offenders that matters, it is the certainity of punishment when (not if) they are caught that matters.

I can see that the police are caught up with those who are mentally ill - and also following woke agendas dictated by politicians. Far too much having to follow up microaggressions and not enough time to dealing with the kind of lawlessness that makes criminals feel they can walk the streets with guns and knives with impunity - and use them freely.

It’s really scary isn’t it? The criminals must laugh at our so called police ‘force’ as they know that whatever heinous crime they are committing, terrifying some hapless member of the public, they have every reason to expect to get away with it.
Meanwhile what are the police doing? They are away on cultural awareness courses or on diversity training seminars.

What are people to do when confronted by a thief in their property? If they are not careful it’s the innocent person who finds he is in trouble.
I remember reading once about a shopkeeper who managed to lock a thief in his stockroom, only to be told, once the police eventually arrived that he could be charged with false imprisonment.
You couldn’t make it up could you?
Instead of the police thanking the poor scared shopkeeper for his prompt, brave action, he was the one in trouble.

Hasnt the risk of being a victim of violent crime decreased.

One of my friends is a police officer and she said most people are relieved when they are arrested as they need help. That to me, says it all.

I’ve looked at the stats Galaxy and it can be argued the risk has reduced. However, the comments here don’t reflect a moral panic, imo. Three people shot and killed in Liverpool this week, one of them a 9 year old girl.

The lack of active police officers has no doubt reduced the number of people reporting to them. What’s the point people say
Successful rape convictions decrease. That’s a violent crime.
Burglary is a devastating crime and should be treated as such

As other posters have pointed out, the police are the last standing emergency service that always responds. My work over 40 years showed time and again the extent of police skills in calming inflamed situations, recognising mh situations.

Sorry Galaxy, the rant isn’t directed atbyou

It may have done Galaxy, but unless we have the detail of what types of violent crimes have fallen and where and when, we cannot not know whether the problem is getting worse or better.

For exaample if minor acts of violence are decreasing, but the chances of non-involved people, like the two 9 year olds and the elderly man on a mobility scooter, being severely injured or killed has risen, does that count as an improvement or deterioration in crimes of violencce?

The figures that I was looking at were about being a victim rather than number of violent crimes. It's ok Iam64 you rant away. I am not minimising it I am just wary of what it may mean. In my head I dont even count rape in those figures, I dont see how you can compare rape figures, low reporting rate, rape in marriage legal within recent memory, I unfortunately see rape as a crime that has almost been made legal due to prosecution rates.

There is something about the death of the girl in Liverpool that was such a million to one chance, that it makes it seem more awful. I am not expressing that very well.

Galaxy -= with you on rape.

The death of the child in Liverpool serves to highlight increasing gun crime. There was a young woman shot and killed in her garden, again Merseyside. Police say random shooting, that was also this week

We have had three random killings of innocent people in a week. While I understand that random events like this can cluster with out it being statistically significant. It does seem, while these stick out because it involves women, children and the elderly, in far too many of the knife crimes that involve youths and young men, the person killed is entirely innocent, not a gang member, not known to the person who killed them, just another youth or young man in the wrong place at the wrong time. Once cases like that would dominate the media for weeks, now it is a one day wonder.