Support police amid comments

author: FutureCar Staff    

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has emphasized the need for police to investigate every theft, but critics argue that her comments are an admission of the Conservative Party's failure over the past 13 years.

Braverman expressed her concern that crimes such as shoplifting, criminal damage, and phone or car theft have been treated as less important by the police. In response, police forces in England and Wales have agreed to utilize all available evidence, including CCTV footage, doorbell recordings, dashcam footage, and phone data, to identify suspects or recover stolen property.

During TV interviews, Braverman launched this new policy and highlighted the progress made in reducing neighborhood offenses like burglary, robbery, and vehicle theft by 51% since 2010. However, she acknowledged that there have been instances where the police have failed to act on helpful leads for crimes like phone and car theft, damaging public confidence in policing.

When questioned about how the police can achieve this aim while being over-stretched, Braverman stated that there are currently more frontline officers than ever before. She emphasized the importance of diverting resources to prioritize what she referred to as "common sense policing" and ensuring that certain crimes are not dismissed as unimportant.

The Police Federation of England and Wales, however, argues that police forces are already stretched beyond their limits. They caution against further diverting resources away from more serious crimes, such as rape and sexual assault.

Despite claims by Braverman and the government that the Conservative Party has increased UK policing numbers by 20,000, it is important to note that a similar number of police staff were cut since the party came to power in 2010. The current number of officers stands at 149,000, compared to 146,000 in 2010.

Richard Garside, director of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, supports the new policy but expresses concerns about the potential diversion of resources from more violent crimes. He highlights the prevalence of male sexual violence towards women and girls and argues that the public's concerns about these serious offenses should not be overlooked.

The reality is that the Home Secretary is expecting more from the police while providing them with fewer resources. Trade union UNISON has warned that police forces in England and Wales could face a significant budget shortfall by 2026, potentially compromising public safety.

Braverman's attempts to blame police forces for the state of crime in the UK are seen by critics as an attempt to deceive the public. They argue that her proposed crime policy merely asks police forces to fulfill the bare minimum of their responsibilities, which has become increasingly difficult due to Tory cuts, austerity measures, and mismanagement.

FutureCar Staff