Posted on 04/06/2006 1:18:30 PM PDT by neverdem
Six out of ten muggings are never reported because the public have lost faith in the police to do anything, it emerged last night.
The devastating verdict is delivered in a report by Demos, one of Tony Blair's favourite think-tanks. It reveals plummeting public confidence in the police means tens of thousands of offences go unreported.
If, as research cited by Demos suggests, police are not told of 58 per cent of muggings, the 80,780 offences recorded last year would in reality number 192,000.
The list of unreported crimes also includes 35 per cent of violent attacks by strangers, 38 per cent of burglaries and 42 per cent of thefts from vehicles.
Tory home affairs spokesman Nick Herbert said: "When such large numbers of people aren't even reporting offences, the true level of crime is far higher than official figures suggest.
"It is essential the public feel confident that crimes will be investigated properly and offenders brought to justice."
Demos, a centre-Left think-tank, warns that the public's experience of dealing with the police is "very gloomy".
It adds: "The police were more likely to be rated as doing a good job by people who had no contact with them over the previous year than by those who had."
The report says the number of victims very or fairly satisfied with the police's response fell from 68 per cent in 1994 to 58 per cent in 2003-2004.
Victims believe police are so tied down by bureaucracy they will be unable to provide a quick response.
LibDem Home Affairs spokesman Nick Clegg said: 'It is difficult for the police to meet public expectations when they're struggling under the weight of central targets and bureaucracy.
"The Government must accept the blame for this loss of public confidence."
The report makes a raft of recommendations to combat the problem. These include the abolition of police authorities and the privatisation of some functions carried out by the police. It also suggests the 43 forces should be merged to 12, rather than the 17 Ministers are planning.
Jan Berry, chairman of the Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, said: "Police officers often face unpleasant situations and therefore the person's interaction with them may not always be perceived as positive.
"Police officers share the public frustration of a criminal justice system which has numerous bureaucratic processes to overcome."
The research on crimes which go unreported is based on a new study of figures from 2001. It was carried out by the Policy Exchange.
Responding to the report, a Home Office spokesman said: "Clearly, we need to ensure that the service is equipped to deal with future challenges.
"This is why we have established a Serious Organised Crime Agency. We are delivering neighbourhood policing in every community and are creating strategic forces with the capacity to protect people against terrorism, extremism and other serious crimes."
Nothing that a strong conclealed carry ordinance can't solve.
Oh wait . . . this is England . . . never mind.
Note that muggings are not considered a problem but something as vague as "extremism' is.
he he he he he, lock & load. oh, i forgot, this is the united kingdom...sorry about that matey...
There are no muggings in England, it's illegal.
Probably because most muggees at least kicked or hit their mugger, and are afraid of getting arrested and charged with assault if they report the incident to police.
There is a Seinfeld episode where his apartment is burglarized.
While speaking to the police officer later on, the officer says, "We'll call you if we find anything." Jerry says in return, "Do you ever find anything?" The officer replies, "No, actually we don't."
At least the officer told the truth.
Unless you are claiming something with your insurance company, it is practically nonsensical to waste time filing a police report.
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