Police in England, Wales and NI too overworked to investigate crimes properly
Overworked police lack the resources, time and experience to investigate crimes properly, leading to victims being failed and an erosion in faith in law enforcement, an official report has found.
The report by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) says that the rate of positive outcomes – when police identify a suspect and they face justice – has crashed from 25% in England and Wales a decade ago to 11% in 2024.
Positive outcomes can mean a charge, summons to appear in court, community resolution or referral to a diversion scheme. There is a huge variation, with the best forces in England and Wales gaining positive outcomes in 20% of allegations they record, the worst 7%. In Northern Ireland, investment in investigative skills has led to a rate of more than 30%.
In too many cases police are 'overwhelmed' when it comes to the most frequent crimes such as assault, burglary, car theft and shoplifting, the so-called 'volume crimes', the inspectorate said.
The report finds police could do better with what they have got, and the inspectorate repeats a constant criticism: that forces too often do not know the level of volume crime they should prepare to face.
HMICFRS's Lee Freeman said not one team spoken to during the inspection had enough resources: 'We could not find an investigation team who were not struggling with the demands they face.'
He added: 'There is much more forces could be doing to improve the experience of victims.'
Since 2015, workloads have increased by 32%, numbers of police officers and staff are down, and the number of police-recorded crimes per thousand of population is up by 44%. Police investigators are left feeling 'embarrassed' about the service they provide. Some said that while trying to hunt criminals, they are pulled out to deal with new emergency calls.
The report is another insight into the chaos at the heart of the criminal justice system. Victims infuriated by delays in bringing cases to backed-up courts pull out, and police files sent to the prosecution service that are needed to make charging decisions are too often poor, it says.
The report says of the strain: 'Interviewees told us that officers and staff often couldn't investigate crime as well as they wanted to because their workloads were too high, they were under pressure and they didn't have enough time … we concluded that in order to investigate volume crime more effectively, forces need more officers and staff.'
The report adds: 'Interviewees said that on some days, they don't get any opportunity to progress ongoing cases as they are dealing with new cases. Some investigators only have two days in every 10 when they can progress existing cases and investigations. One investigator told us: 'Victims call for updates, and we can't tell them anything. It's embarrassing, really.''
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From 2010, the Conservative government slashed police numbers, then after 2018 increased them, leading to an increase in inexperienced officers and staff. The report says: 'Interviewees often told us that the inexperience of investigators and supervisors contributed to delays because they didn't know how to progress investigations. For example, we found response officers were investigating crimes that were beyond their capability and training, such as complex fraud.'
Katie Kempen, who leads the charity Victim Support, said: 'These figures make it abundantly clear that victims of crime are not getting the justice they deserve. If the public continue to report crimes without ever seeing this lead to a charge or conviction, they are going to lose faith in the criminal justice system.
'This comes just as the government has cut funding for services that support victims of crime. These figures reflect a criminal justice system in crisis – victims can't be left to go it alone.'
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