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Police asking victims to "investigate" themselves

by Josef Kafka

UK police tend to get a lot of attention in the press, and not all of it good.

There are accusations of heavy handedness when there is a protest or police raid, and accusations of not being heavy handed enough when preventable crimes take place. It is not often, though, that the police get accused of passing on the job. However, a new report from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) suggests just that.

The report, which covers the 43 separate services across England and Wales, contains the bizarre finding that certain crimes are essentially being dealt with by asking victims to do their own detective work. For crimes classed as 'high volume', including robberies, criminal damage and vehicle crimes, people are routinely being asked to come up with evidence themselves. This ranges from checking video surveillance to looking for evidence suitable for DNA testing or, in the case of stolen goods, asset location. The peculiar revelations certainly come as a surprise to some. An Inspector of Constabulary commented, "It's more of a mindset, that we no longer deal with these things".

The inspector suggested that for some crimes, the police have "almost given up" on investigating fully. Rather than undertaking proper video surveillance, asset location and so on, the report also highlights a tendency to simply file crimes without extensive investigation. All this also raises some worrying – and strange – questions about our communities.

Are you being bugged by your neighbour? Should we start to become self-taught experts in DNA testing or learn how video surveillance and house sweeping work? It raises some amusing prospects, but also some serious ones. Part of the job of our police detectives is to keep us safe – and they also have to make us feel safe. If they don't investigate fully, a strange paranoia could end up being the result. It might not be quite as glum as the 1960s USSR, but a Britain of glances over the shoulder and peering through the curtains could make a comeback. In that sense, it's a serious issue that needs to be fixed. On the other hand, if you're in a situation where you do need to investigate something yourself, perhaps if you're unsatisfied with police results, you should always turn to the professionals to ensure the job is done right and within the bounds of the law. 

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