PEOPLE would be horrified by how few police are available to respond to crimes, a senior cop leader said yesterday. Police Federation chairman John Apter said it is soul-destroying for rank-and-file officers and the system is broken after ten years of cuts. He was responding after HM Inspector of Constabulary Matt Parr said the public […]
PEOPLE would be horrified by how few police are available to respond to crimes, a senior cop leader said yesterday.
Police Federation chairman John Apter said it is soul-destroying for rank-and-file officers and the system is broken after ten years of cuts.
He was responding after HM Inspector of Constabulary Matt Parr said the public have “rumbled” that police cannot deal with volume crimes such as burglary.
Mr Apter said: “The public would be horrified if they realised just how few officers there are in their local areas to respond to incidents.
“I understand the frustration of victims, but it is equally as frustrating for police officers.
“It is soul-destroying.
“Some crimes which are defined as ‘minor’ are the ones which can be the most impactive on the victim.
“No police officer is happy with this situation.”
The Government plans to recruit an extra 20,000 police officers.
But Mr Apter said there were “some local forces struggling to respond to 999 calls in a timely manner”.
He added: “The system is broken, and forces are having to make some incredibly difficult operational decisions on which crimes to prioritise.”
