Inspector slams police standards

Thursday, March 11, 2010

The public have been saying it for years but now the chief inspector of constabulary Denis O'Connor has voiced his concern that police in England and Wales don't give enough attention to clamping down on anti-social behaviour.

As he released figures showing that Nottinghamshire's police force rated 'poor' in all three key categories of local policing, protection from harm and confidence – second only to Greater Manchester – O'Connor claimed that this apparent lack of interest in so-called "trivial" crimes undermined the public's confidence in the police.

The police inspectorate reckoned the way the public's complaints of harassment, vandalism and verbal abuse were dealt with by police was "inadequate". In around 25 per cent of anti-social behaviour incidents reported to the police, officers didn't feel it worth turning up and just about every victim in such cases said they were not happy with the explanation the police gave for not attending.

O'Connor said: "It is like going back to the doctors' surgery but you see a different doctor every time. The more times they suffer, the less confidence people have. There are some heart-rending stories."

Saying that the distinction between crime and anti-social behaviour was "artificial", he added: "I think this undermines confidence if it is not dealt with seriously, confidence not just in the police but in general. It is partly an individual thing but it also has a wider effect on the community, it adds an air of futility in [the] public."

Policing minister David Hanson told the BBC: "They're low level issues very often, but they can be quite serious and they will blight people's lives and we have a duty to take things seriously."