The Police, what's the point of them?

There is often a lack of admissible evidence. Without that, what are the police expected to do? Conjure it up out of thin air?

Years ago I think people were happier when policemen were very visible ‘on the beat’ and there was always a local police station you could go to for help. I think it is a cop-out to say just claim on the insurance for stolen items. Re the bikes, I was surprised at the lack of action as I have always had the impression the police take action when something really valuable is stolen, such as Tamara Ecclestone’s jewellery, or when wealthy Fred Goodwin of the RBS had his windows smashed at his Edinburgh house. They don’t seem to bother if it is a regular person getting their car vandalised, for example. I speak from experience of the latter.

Thank you vintage

It’s untrue to print a crime is committed, you phone 999 and the police don’t want to know, they’re about as much use as a chocolate teapot
The idea we don’t want compassionate policing, we want them tough on crime is another bit of idiocy. My father did 33 years, retiring from a senior position. He was kind, compassionate, no push over, believed the law was necessary, and should be obeyed.
The police force mirrors the society it serves. It’s also not the job of officers to be “tough on crime”. Their job is to enforce the law

So you expect the Met to investigate the mobile phone thefts reported every six minutes ?

vintageclassics

Obviously don't be ridiculous I'm talking about everyday crimes, burglary, robbery, shop lifting where the police are not interested. Actually London and other big cities are like the wild west, youths/men run riot with knives and machetes and drug dealing is rampant. Let's hope your not involved in an RTC either.

The police should investigate all crime otherwise what’s the point in them? More and more insurance policies, including home insurance, have a no claims clause so if you do claim the premiums go up. Allowing criminals to get off Scot free without investigation is a disaster in the making. My husband was assaulted last Christmas. We have a video of the thug admitting he did it, and we had to turn detective to find where he lives. Yet no action has been taken. We have a drug dealer near us and in spite of people doing what the police said to do (ie keep dates/times/descriptions/ car registration numbers no action is ever taken. He deals to under age kids outside a school. Drug dealing, assault, burglaries, vandalism, wildlife crime, shop lifting, fraud - no action is taken so we’re sitting ducks. I’d like to know exactly what do they do?? Our police station doesn’t appear to be understaffed a fact supported by a serving officer neighbour. Yet try and prevent crime and we get into trouble!

Just another example of another service that has gone to pot. They should have sufficient resources to investigate all crimes but obviously have not. Until we're all happy to pay more for such services (like the NHS) then things are unlikely to improve imo.

The point of The Police is Sting, mainly (hmm)

Well said vintage. 👏👏👏

Let's just hope Nicenanny3 is never involved in a RTC where the police are first on scene to give first aid / scrape you off the road / break the news to you loved ones or you have mental health issues and need talking down from that bridge or just imply go missing - just who do you think would look for you? Hopefully you'll never be involved in something like the London Bridge attack where police run towards danger. Perhaps you'll be lucky enough to never experience knife crime or have to deal with local drug dealers preying on your grandchrildren!

Is it open season on bashing the police, most of whom are decent honest individuals fighting crime with insufficient resource and other priorities which shouldn't be thiers?

I don’t know where you are Sharina, but in London a mobile phone is reported stolen every six minutes. It’s totally impossible for the police to investigate such thefts.

BlueBelle

*If a cyclist loses their bike l don't want my tax spent on getting it back*
What a horrible thing to say it may be the only way that person can get to and from work and as valuable to them as a car is to others

It was apparently £36000 worth of bicycles. I'm not sure if they used any of them to get to work but they should have been in secure storage and insured, they'd then be recompensed. If they had that worth of bicycles l reckon they'd be able to afford to get to work somehow or afford tracking devices/companies rather than an extremely overstretched police force to investigate.

Nicenanny3 please vent your frustration about the police at the real cause, the government. Theresa May cut police budgets. Forces funding has been pared back to the bone and still more cut backs. Police officers and staff work very hard, with fewer staff doing more work. It’s a tough job. I agree the current situation isn’t good, but focus on the real issue, don’t blame the police.

I’m a bit cross after my friend was robbed of her mobile phone by two women. We felt harassed and didn’t realise what had happened until they left. With the phone. The police weren’t interested. But they come to the synagogue every Saturday morning for what? I don’t understand.

Recently A police sgt was killed trying to help a distressed man on a railway track

annodomini👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Would you be whingeing as some of you have, if you were the family of that poor toddler who went missing and was found in a local pond? Did you see on your screens the number of police vehicles drawn up in the village where they searched for and found the child? The police are grossly under-staffed but there's not a single officer who won't do his or her best to turn out in a real emergency. Please get real, and if you have complaints about police, start bombarding your MPs about the situation that has come about through many years of under-funding.

It must be very frustrating to think that shop theft is not investigated .
Is that the reason all the remaining shops in our high St are investing in ugly steel shutters and cctv?

They spoil the look of the street and make it look like a no-go area from a NY cop drama and not a conservation area with attractive planting in the pedestrian area.

My pet hate is vandalism and littering which is never investigated.

I called the police to our community garden when a shed was burnt down. All they wanted to know was how much it was worth.
It wasn't until 2 more sheds were burned down that it was taken a bit more seriously and they interviewed a couple of schoolboy suspects. (I had done some investigating myself) that the vandals stopped. There were no more sheds to burn!

Surely the aattitude of maany people on this thread explains the utter indifference of the police to dealing with community crime.

I wonder how they would feel, if it was their business that was being forced into closure by shoplifting or their houses broken into, or their belongings vandalised.

Nicenanny
Sadly, I think you’re right.

07:15Sara1954

It's probably only going to get worse unfortunately.

I can’t speak for other crimes, but as far as stealing from retailers is concerned, they know that nothing will be done about it.
In the past we have given the police names and addresses, their excuse for not following up on it? They will just say they found it. Nothing we can do.

06:33Sara1954

We have a business, and we no longer bother to ring the police

It's disgusting that you can't expect any help from the police and yes it might just be stuff but it's your stuff and your business that you've worked hard for.

22:58MarathonRunner

We have in the UK one of the most tolerant and compassionate police forces in the world , I think we should be grateful for the men and women who pull that uniform on every day not knowing if they'll make it home at the end of the day

I don't want a tolerant and compassionate police force I want a police force who are tough on crime. For every crime committed there is a victim, a young lad saving up for a new bike his pride and joy then some scumbag takes it from him well I sorry but yes I want it investigated. These scumbags think they own the streets, they want something they just take it. They walk into shops and just steal whatever they want they know the chances of anyone stopping them or the police arresting them are zero. Near where I live in Alderley Edge a man was recently attacked with a machete and his watch and other jewellery taken. We are living in a lawless society and I personally want the Police to step up and do their job.

Police are human and as such are not all the same.
It's true that you never see them walking around but often in cars with the blue lights flashing, probably attending road traffic incidents.
Sadly, you see them in hospitals especially dealing with drunks.

999 calls are always answered. Not so much 101.

I have several friends who are retired police. I met them through voluntary work where they work hard and are good company.
They are often far more compassionate about the criminals in society than I am.