Police chiefs have agreed for the first time to send an officer to every burglary.
The historical trait obliges them to always come to visit, regardless of the location and what has been stolen.
Signed by all 43 chief constables in England and Wales, the landmark agreement comes a day after it emerged that an average of 774 burglaries remain unsolved every day.
Martin Hewitt of the National Police Chief Council says that more cases should now come to court – the prosecution rate is as low as 1.7 per cent in some areas.
“No matter where you live in England and Wales, you can be sure that the police will attend if you experience the invasion of a residential burglary,” he adds.
“This should see more burglaries solved and more offenders prosecuted.” Sir. Writing in tomorrow’s Daily Mail, Hewitt declares: ‘We want to give people peace of mind knowing that if you experience that invasion, the police will come, find all possible evidence and do everything possible to catch those responsible.
‘It is a critical part of the contract between the police and the public.’
The historic engagement is seen as a defining moment for policing because forces had set their own priorities, which can vary wildly around the country.
Every residential burglary will be attended by a police officer, all 43 chief constables in England and Wales have said in a landmark agreement
The number of criminals prosecuted has more than halved, and the number found guilty is even lower – only 7,887 burglars were convicted last year
Today the Mail revealed that 1.76 million burglaries were reported across England and Wales over the past five years – but 1.41 million of the cases were closed without a suspect being identified.
The number of criminals prosecuted has more than halved, and the number found guilty is even lower – just 7,887 burglars were convicted last year. Until recently, police chiefs had insisted there was no evidence an officer presence resulted in more offenders being caught.
But a new ‘rapid evidence assessment’ from the Police College overturned the established way of thinking. The report, presented at a meeting of police chiefs on September 30, concluded that crime scene visits could provide investigative opportunities to solve the case, reassure victims and prevent future offending.
It followed a devastating audit in August by His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary Andy Cooke, which revealed victims were being let down and urged officers to attend all domestic raids.
Yesterday Mr Cooke said: ‘Back in August we published a report which said the police response to burglaries needs to be improved. Burglary is an invasive crime that strikes at the core of how safe we feel in our homes. Yet too many victims may not see a single officer – as I have said before, this cannot be true.
‘Today’s announcement shows that police leaders have started to act on our findings. This is a positive step forward in solving more burglaries and ensuring victims get the service they deserve.’
Sir. Hewitt pointed out that the number of burglaries was at a record low – “down 51 per cent over the past decade due to increased investment by the police and partners in stopping them from happening”.
According to the NPCC, Chief Constables will work to ensure that the new obligation is implemented as soon as practicable.
Chief Constable Andy Marsh, Chief Executive of the College of Policing: ‘Officers across the country want to lock up criminals and keep communities safe. Our standards will help to create consistency in the police response, enable them to get the basics right and deliver what the public expects.’
Police chiefs will now ask Home Secretary Suella Braverman for extra money to ‘focus more resources’ on burglaries.
Former Victims’ Commissioner Vera Baird said: ‘This is a big step forward for victims and to restore public confidence in the police. They need prompt reassurance that the police care about their safety and that there is still effective law and order when their personal safety has been breached.’
An important step in building trust in the police
Comment by Martin Hewitt, chairman of the National Police Chief Council
Last week, chief constables from all over the country met. Reducing crime and building public trust were at the top of our agenda.
At that meeting we made an important collective decision – to participate in all residential burglaries. Some forces already do this. Others participate where it is established that there are evidentiary lines of inquiry or where the victims are vulnerable or elderly.
Some police chiefs have struggled to achieve participation in all burglaries with limited resources and balance an increase in complex and highly damaging crime. But burglary is invasive and can be deeply traumatic.
Martin Hewitt, Chairman of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC)
We want to give people peace of mind knowing that if you experience that invasion, the police will come, find all possible evidence and do everything they can to catch those responsible. It is a critical part of the contract between the police and the public.
We are also asking for the Home Secretary’s help so that police chiefs can focus more resources on solving crime and increasing confidence. Firstly, we ask the government to seriously undertake the major expansion of the police task. We will focus more on solving crime. The public wants the same. And so do the politicians.
But a 2018 National Audit Office report showed that 64 percent of emergency calls to the police were not about crime. Some are perfectly legitimate police activities, but a significant proportion see the police stepping into health and social work because of a lack of other services.
We have been debating this for years and there has been no meaningful change – there has to be for us to improve crime rates. Secondly, we want to see a review of crime registration processes. Compliance with the process is an industry in policing that removes officers from neighborhood policing, and the resulting statistics present a misleading picture to the public of the reality of crime. Right now, a burglary at a family home is treated in the context of crime records in the same way as the loss of a spade from a shed. There must be a better way.
Thirdly, we want to work across the policing system and with government to agree the core policing services to be delivered to a consistent standard across the country – with evidence and public priorities at the heart of our decision-making. We currently do not have this shared view of our core services and as a result priorities can change with the wind. With it, we can stick to an agreed mission that the public can understand and support.