Police chiefs should be told to send officers to any break-in report as part of another break-in attack
- Chief Constable Andy Marsh said it’s ‘right’ to attend any break-in
- Mr Marsh said home visits reduce burglaries and discourage targeted raids
- A police investigation found that detection rates have nearly halved in seven years
Police chiefs across Britain will be urged to send officers to any break-in, the head of police training has promised.
The chief of the College of Policing, Chief Constable Andy Marsh, has vowed to write to every chief of police and… crime commissioner, who insisted it was “the right thing” to be present at every break-in.
Mr Marsh said the evidence showed that house calls reduced burglaries and discouraged robbers from targeting the same area more than once.
His comments come after Scotland Yard’s new commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, announced that his officers would attend every domestic raid in an unprecedented raid on burglary.
Mr Marsh said evidence showed that house calls reduced burglaries and discouraged robbers from targeting the same area more than once
Sir Mark warned courts across the capital to brace for a massive increase in cases – as he orders officers to take burglars, robbers and wanted suspects off the streets in a 100-day crackdown.
And Mr Marsh – who was chief constable for the Hampshire and Avon and Somerset Police before his appointment last summer – reiterated the need to prioritize break-ins, arguing that the same approach should be rolled out across the UK.
He said at the Police Foundation’s John Harris commemorative lecture in central London on Wednesday: ‘This week I will be writing to all chief constables and police and crime commissioners to provide the evidence on what is working to reduce crime and prevent burglary. And actually, there’s evidence that it’s popping up and door-to-door keeping [inquiries] reveals evidence you might not otherwise find.
“There are indications that if your house is broken into, the chance that a house within a four-meter radius will be broken into in the next two weeks is much higher. And you’re not going to prevent that unless you do door-to-door reassurance and gather evidence.’
A Strategic Investigation by the Police Foundation found that detection rates have almost halved in seven years
Burglary victims often suffered severe psychological trauma that must be taken into account when prioritizing crimes, Mr Marsh said.
‘Our house is our castle and breaking into it is very personal.
“So we have to be able to be present at every break-in; it’s the right thing to do and the evidence backs it up.”
Police officers across the country had often lost track of basics and were underperforming as a result, Mr Marsh said during a lecture at the Royal Society of Arts. “To me, getting the foundations right means delivering what the public expects…preventing and detecting crime by officers and personnel who maintain the highest professional standards,” he added.
A strategic investigation by the police foundation showed that the detection rates have almost halved in seven years.
In the year to March 2021, only 9.3 percent of all recorded police crimes resulted in charges or subpoenas, compared to 17 percent in 2014.
“The public just doesn’t think that’s good enough. Neither do we,” Mr. Marsh said.