About time! Police are told to investigate every crime they can if there is a ‘reasonable lead’ after years of ignoring low-level offences
- Forces agreed to pursue cases with a chance of catching the perpetrator
Police will investigate every crime if there is a ‘reasonable lead’, officers have agreed in a landmark policy.
After years of ignoring lower-level offences, forces have committed to pursue any case where there is a chance of catching the perpetrator.
Welcoming the move, Home Secretary Suella Braverman said last night: ‘I’ve heard too many accounts from victims where police simply haven’t acted on helpful leads because crimes such as phone and car thefts are seen as less important – that’s unacceptable. It has damaged people’s confidence in policing.
‘The police’s commitment today is a huge step forward towards delivering the victim-focused, common-sense policing the public deserve.’
In an extraordinary historic agreement by all forces in England and Wales, officers have been told there is no crime too minor to be solved. Police will be forced to act if there is ‘tangible evidence’ such as footage from CCTV, vehicle dashcams or phone tracking.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman said last night: ‘I’ve heard too many accounts from victims where police simply haven’t acted on helpful leads because crimes such as phone and car thefts are seen as less important – that’s unacceptable’ (File Photo)
The unprecedented approach will end the widespread practice of overlooking offences such as shoplifting, phone muggings, car theft and criminal damage. The head of the College of Policing, Chief Constable Andy Marsh, has promised a laser focus on solving crimes.
Today the college is publishing guidance to all officers, telling them they must strive to achieve the ‘best or most suitable outcome’ for every victim. It says the public can expect all potential evidence to be considered as part of an investigation when there is information to suggest the offender could be identified.
The body, which sets national standards for officers, will admi that too often victims are being let down when police close cases within minutes of them being reported, ignoring evidence that could lead directly to the suspect.
Mr Marsh said: ‘It is critically important the public know that when a crime has happened the police will consider all reasonable lines of enquiry and, where appropriate, arrest the person responsible. Leaps in technology have meant the public are making reports to police with clear CCTV and officers should take a proportionate view and investigate if it is sensible to do so.’
The head of the College of Policing, Chief Constable Andy Marsh, has promised a laser focus on solving crimes (File Photo)
Until now, police have largely ignored certain crimes, such as setting a £50 loss threshold for investigating shoplifting.
In the year to March, forces charged a suspect in only 2 per cent of vehicle and bike thefts, 3 per cent of low-level assaults, 4 per cent of criminal damage cases and 4 per cent of residential burglaries.
Now forces will be under pressure to follow every lead, however small. It comes after many desperate victims have been forced to turn detective to solve their own crimes.
Mrs Braverman said she expects Police and Crime Commissioners to hold forces to account for the drastic change. She also wants officers to make full use of their stop and search powers to get drugs off the streets. After forces were given a record £17.2 billion in funding and an extra 20,000 police officers, chief constables will be under pressure to deliver justice for every victim.
The Home Secretary acknowledged the police have made progress, noting they are preventing crime across the country with neighbourhood offences such as burglary and vehicle theft down by 51 per cent since 2010.
The commitment agreed by the Home Office, in tandem with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and College of Policing, is formally defined as an agreement to pursue all ‘reasonable lines of enquiry’ in relation to all crime types.
Minister for crime and policing Chris Philp said: ‘There is no such thing as a minor crime. All crimes, where there is a reasonable lead to follow up should be investigated’ (File Photo)
It builds on the previous commitment, exclusively revealed in the Mail, that police will attend the scene of every home burglary.
Minister for crime and policing Chris Philp said: ‘There is no such thing as a minor crime. All crimes, where there is a reasonable lead to follow up should be investigated.
‘Crimes such as shoplifting, phone theft, car theft and burglary profoundly affect business and the public, and all merit proper investigation.’
The agreement is based on a scheme in Greater Manchester, where Chief Constable Steve Watson announced in May 2021 that his officers would investigate all crimes and follow up every reasonable line of inquiry.
The force has since reported a 44 per cent increase in charges in the year to March.
National Police Chiefs’ Council spokesman for investigations, Chief Constable Scott Chilton, said: ‘We welcome the introduction of this new guidance, which will improve standards and deliver even more consistency across forces.’
He added: ‘This will ensure that the great work that officers do is able to further develop, modernise, and respond to the complexities of modern-day crime.
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