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Needless to say, if there were evidence of serious criminality in No 10 the police should carry out whatever inquiries they deemed necessary.
There is, however, no such evidence. There are allegations, some of which appear cast-iron, that illegal parties took place. But shameful though these parties undoubtedly were, they constitute in legal terms an offence roughly on a par with a parking ticket.
I won’t be surprised if this needless delving into parties costs millions. It is bound to if it drags on many months and involves many officers. Is this a sensible way to spend public money when Sue Gray, who seems perfectly competent, has already conducted her own inquiry?
If your house is burgled in London, or indeed anywhere else, it is unlikely that you will get much assistance from our supposedly hard-pressed police. They can nevertheless find time to interview dozens of people in Downing Street, whose ‘crime’ is to have attended a party that they shouldn’t have.
In fact, in 2017 the Met issued officers with guidelines informing them that they no longer need to investigate lesser incidents of grievous bodily harm or car crime unless a victim identifies a suspect. Meanwhile, a victim of a non-violent ‘hate crime’ is likely to have concerned officers on the phone.
This is what I mean by a lack of proportionality. Money and officers can always be found to mount high-profile investigations such as the one in Downing Street, while the real crimes which concern us in our everyday lives are often ignored.
