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Police Officers failing to see tackling antisocial behaviour as 'real Police work'.

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/sep/23/police-ukcrime

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/8020494/Public-left-to-fight-anti-social-behaviour-alone-says-top-policeman.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11394354

Major report by the Chief inspectorate of constabulary has seen officers retreating from the streets and failing to adequately respond to anti-social behaviour. Although for many people who've lived or grown up with this it might seem like a belated dispatch from the Department of the bleeding obvious - I think this is a significant and welcome statement.

The majority of people I have spoken to and worked with (Hampshire) do not trust the Police to deal with the problem or protect them from reprisals. They see Officers as aloof and arrogant - they are afraid that they are more likely to receive punitive 'words of advice' from attending officers for challenging anti-social behaviour, than for those officers to protect them. I've only seen a little of the detail in the report but the Met in particular come off quite badly from this and other accounts dug up in the links above.

It appears that this is an institutional problem; one that is going to take time to put right, but I really hope it does because vulnerable people are being hung out to dry by a public service that is failing them - in no small part due to the wider structures, goals and contexts that shape the conduct and attitudes of officers.

UPDATE: Mark Easton has put put a very good comment piece on the BBC:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/markeaston/2010/09/putting_police_in_harms_way.html

He argues that the key point is reframing Policing priorities around level of harm to society, rather than whether something is or is not classed as a 'crime' - something which feeds into the disproportionate responses we have seen to protest on the one hand, and anti-social behaviour on the other.

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think (well I've seen the reports) our force is doing fairly well in dealing with ASB. ASB incidents are automatically upgraded until they're resourced. Yes, some are downgraded again but anything that comes in as a person's at scene, ie smashing bottles, drinking e.t.c. is automatically graded as an immediate response and officers who attend are under orders to be proactive. We all have a minimum checklist for what we need to do on attending an ASB incident, the very least that is required is collation of names and addresses that are forwarded to the council and the local PCSOs for long term work. It seems to work quite well and the local residents are happy.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think (well I've seen the reports) our force is doing fairly well in dealing with ASB. ASB incidents are automatically upgraded until they're resourced. Yes, some are downgraded again but anything that comes in as a person's at scene, ie smashing bottles, drinking e.t.c. is automatically graded as an immediate response and officers who attend are under orders to be proactive. We all have a minimum checklist for what we need to do on attending an ASB incident, the very least that is required is collation of names and addresses that are forwarded to the council and the local PCSOs for long term work. It seems to work quite well and the local residents are happy.

    This sounds very good, and to be honest sounds like the type of detailed minimum standard of service that should be in place everywhere. If what you describe was in place on a few estates round by me, we might not have had several families, as well as disabled adults, having to move because of persistent abuse over months and years.
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