The police response to burglary, robbery and theft is not
consistently good enough – and victims face a postcode lottery
when it comes to how thoroughly officers might investigate
crimes, the police inspectorate has warned.
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue
Services (HMICFRS) has called for forces to go back to basics to
ensure they are conducting investigations effectively.
Inspectors found that:
- forces are missing opportunities to identify and catch
offenders, from the moment a member of the public reports the
crime to the point where a case is finalised;
- police are not doing all they can to help victims when they
report crimes - in 71 percent of the burglary reports
examined, police personnel did not give victims any advice on
crime-scene preservation during the initial call;
- forces lack investigative capacity and capability to
effectively tackle burglary, robbery and theft, often because of
the national detective shortage and inexperience; and
- investigations are not being appropriately or thoroughly
supervised, with a third of cases examined having insufficient
evidence of proper supervision.
HMICFRS has recommended that by March 2023, all police forces
should ensure that:
- their crime-scene management practices adhere to the
authorised professional practice on managing investigations for
burglary, robbery and theft; and
- these investigations are subject to effective supervision and
direction.
Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary Andy Cooke
said:
“Burglary, robbery and theft are not minor crimes. They are
crimes that strike at the heart of how safe people feel in their
own homes or communities. The current low charge rates for these
crimes are unacceptable and unsustainable – there needs to be a
concerted drive to address this issue because it directly affects
the public’s confidence in the police’s ability to keep them
safe.
“At the moment, depending on where in England and Wales they
live, some victims are more likely than others to get a thorough
investigation from their force. This postcode lottery can’t be
justified. We found that from the moment a victim reports a crime
until that case is finalised, forces are missing opportunities to
gather vital evidence and bring offenders to justice.
“A lack of experienced officers means that too often, these
crimes are being investigated poorly and are not adequately
supervised – often because supervisors themselves are
inexperienced and overstretched.
“We found that some police forces are working hard to tackle
these crimes and uncovered some excellent examples of innovative
and effective practice. We hope that other forces will follow
these examples.
“We’ve made two recommendations for police forces to go back to
basics by improving crime scene management and ensuring proper
supervision so that investigations are conducted effectively.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- The report is based on findings from HMICFRS's PEEL
inspections from 2021/2022 and its thematic reports.
- The inspectorate’s two recommendations in full are as
follows:
- giving victims timely and appropriate advice during their
initial call; and
- applying a risk-assessment process such as THRIVE,
clearly recording it, and flagging those re-victimised for
further support.
- making sure supervisors have the capability and capacity
to meaningfully supervise investigations;
- making sure investigations meet the necessary standard
and achieve suitable outcomes that consider the voice or
opinion of victims;
- applying investigative outcome codes appropriately; and
- By March 2023, forces should make sure their crime-scene
management practices adhere to the authorised professional
practice on managing investigations for serious acquisitive
crime. They should also include:
- By March 2023, all forces should ensure serious
acquisitive crime investigations are subject to effective
supervision and direction. This should focus on:
complying with the Victim’s Code and recording evidence of
compliance.
