‘Hanging by a thread’: Public trust in police has fallen to its lowest level ever, watchdog warns
Public trust in the police has fallen to the lowest level ever – and time is running out to restore it, the policing watchdog has warned.
Chief constables are being urged to concentrate on crimes that matter most to people, get the basics right in investigations and restore the abandoned policy of neighbourhood policing.
His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary Andy Cooke says they should be forced to do all of this by law – and he is demanding new legal powers to make chiefs follow his rules. He also wants a role in their appointment.
Mr Cooke said: “There are clear and systemic failings throughout the police service in England and Wales and, thanks to a series of dreadful scandals, public trust in the police is hanging by a thread. We have a small window of opportunity to repair it.”
He said repeated calls for change over the years have mostly been ignored or implemented too slowly by forces.
“A perfect example of this is that since 2016 we made a considerable number of recommendations to address police officers abusing their position with victims for sexual purpose,” he said. “Not enough forces took meaningful action and that’s why we are where we are.
“This lack of action meant it had become too easy for the wrong people to join the police and the wrong people to stay in the police.
“Now, there’s only so many times we can say the same thing in different words. The time for talking has passed and it’s now time for action.”
Mr Cooke, a former chief constable of Merseyside Police, acknowledged that most officers were dedicated, brave and committed – but insisted that major reform is needed. The same applies to other organisations.
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Victims who aren’t vulnerable should still get good service
He said an underfunded mental health service meant police officers were often having to deal with patients when they should be fighting crime. He said last year police attended 600,000 mental health incidents.
“I wouldn’t expect a mental health professional to investigate crime. The role of the police needs to be more tightly defined,” he said.
“Having too many demands makes it difficult for them to prioritise. Often and rightly, a significant amount of time and effort is spent trying to protect the most vulnerable.
“The police exists to serve all citizens equally. Victims who aren’t vulnerable should still receive a good level of service from the police when they need it, it is not an either or.”
He described the criminal justice system as “dysfunctional” – revealing that in October last year the backlog of crown court cases was the highest ever recorded.
“In too many cases victims lose confidence in the system and withdraw from the process entirely,” he said.
“Forces need to show professionalism, get the basics right when it comes to investigating crime, and respond properly when someone dials 999.
“This is what matters most to the communities they serve and this is the way forward for the police to regain the public’s trust.
“The fundamental principle of policing by consent, upon which our police service is built, is at risk – and it is past time to act.”
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Baroness Casey’s report states that Britain’s largest police force needs a ‘complete overhaul’ and may need to be broken up.
Confidence has dropped to below 50%
He said figures from surveys in which the public was asked if it thought police did a good job were dangerously low, dropping in two years from 75% to below 50%.
“People are genuinely, arguably safer than before, most crime is down, but people just do not feel safer. Policing has got to be seen as effective,” he added.
Mr Cooke described neighbourhood policing as the “building block of policing” in England and Wales.
“It isn’t just a nice thing to do. It’s fundamental to the police relationship with the public and to preventing crime.”
He said that government public spending cuts has seen a reduction in police community support officers (PCSOs) from 16,377 in 2010 to 8,263.
“By providing an effective neighbourhood policing presence communities get the opportunity to voice their concerns and offer their opinions about local priorities,” he said.
“This helps police and their partner organisations, such as local authorities, to work with the public to problem-solve and prevent crime.”
Last year, when he was appointed, Mr Cooke criticised forces for not dealing properly with basic, volume crimes such as domestic burglary.
A report earlier this week revealed that all forces were now attending every reported home burglary, but another said that officers had failed to solve a single burglary in almost half of the areas in England and Wales over the past three years.
The dates for Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK have been announced, with the US president due to be welcomed by the King from 17 to 19 September.
Buckingham Palace also confirmed that President Trump and first lady Melania will be hosted by the King and Queen at Windsor Castle.
It was expected that the three-day state visit would take place in September after Mr Trump let slip earlier in April that he believed that was when his second “fest” was being planned for.
Windsor was also anticipated to be the location after the US president told reporters in the Oval Office that the letter from the King said Windsor would be the setting. Refurbishment works at Buckingham Palace also meant that Windsor was used last week for French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit.
This will be Mr Trump’s second state visit to the UK, an unprecedented gesture towards an American leader, having previously been invited to Buckingham Palace in 2019.
Donald Trump and Melania Trump posing with Charles and Camilla in 2019. Pic: Reuters
He has also been to Windsor Castle before, in 2018, but despite the considerable military pageantry of the day, and some confusion around inspecting the guard, it was simply for tea with Queen Elizabeth II.
Further details of what will happen during the three-day visit in September will be announced in due course.
On Friday, Sky News revealed it is now unlikely that the US president will address parliament, usually an honour given to visiting heads of state as part of their visit. Some MPs had raised significant concerns about him being given the privilege.
But the House of Commons will not be sitting at the time of Mr Trump’s visit as it will rise for party conference season on the 16 September, meaning the president will not be able to speak in parliament as President Macron did during his state visit this week. However, the House of Lords will be sitting.
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Labour MP: ‘Trump isn’t welcome here’
In February this year, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer presented the US president with the letter from the King inviting him to visit during a meeting at the White House.
After reading it, Mr Trump said it was a “great, great honour”, adding “and that says at Windsor – that’s really something”.
In February, Sir Keir Starmer revealed a letter from the King inviting Donald Trump to the UK. Pic: Reuters
In the letter, the King suggested they might meet at Balmoral or Dumfries House in Scotland first before the much grander state visit. However, it is understood that, although all options were explored, complexities in both the King and Mr Trump’s diaries meant it wasn’t possible.
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This week, it emerged that Police Scotland are planning for a summer visit from the US president, which is likely to see him visit one or both of his golf clubs in Aberdeenshire and Ayrshire, and require substantial policing resources and probably units to be called in from elsewhere in the UK.
Precedent for second-term US presidents, who have already made a state visit, is usually tea or lunch with the monarch at Windsor Castle, as was the case for George W Bush and Barack Obama.
A small plane has crashed at Southend Airport in Essex.
Essex Police said it was at the scene of a “serious incident”.
Images posted online showed huge flames and a large cloud of black smoke, with one witness saying they saw a “fireball”.
A police statement said: “We were alerted shortly before 4pm to reports of a collision involving one 12-metre plane.
“We are working with all emergency services at the scene now and that work will be ongoing for several hours.
“We would please ask the public to avoid this area where possible while this work continues.”
A huge fireball near the airport. Pic: Ben G
It has been reported that the plane involved in the incident is a Beech B200 Super King Air.
According to flight-tracking service Flightradar, it took off at 3.48pm and was bound for Lelystad, a city in the Netherlands.
One man, who was at Southend Airport with his family around the time of the incident, said the aircraft “crashed headfirst into the ground”.
John Johnson said: “About three or four seconds after taking off, it started to bank heavily to its left, and then within a few seconds of that happening, it more or less inverted and crashed.
“There was a big fireball. Obviously, everybody was in shock in terms of witnessing it. All the kids saw it and the families saw it.”
Mr Johnson added that he phoned 999 to report the crash.
Southend Airport said the incident involved “a general aviation aircraft”.
Four flights scheduled to take off from Southend this afternoon were cancelled, according to its website.
Flightradar data shows two planes that had been due to land at Southend were diverted to nearby airports London Gatwick and London Stansted.
Plumes of black smoke. Pic: UKNIP
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said four crews, along with off-road vehicles, have attended the scene.
Four ambulances and four hazardous area response team vehicles are also at the airport, as well as an air ambulance, the East of England Ambulance Service said.
Its statement described the incident as “still developing”.
Fire engines at the airport
David Burton-Sampson, the MP for Southend West and Leigh, posted on social media: “I am aware of an incident at Southend Airport. Please keep away and allow the emergency services to do their work.
“My thoughts are with everyone involved.”
Local councillor Matt Dent said on X: “At present all I know is that a small plane has crashed at the airport. My thoughts are with all those involved, and with the emergency services currently responding to the incident.”
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UK
Heidi Alexander says ‘fairness’ will be government’s ‘guiding principle’ when it comes to taxes at next budget
Another hint that tax rises are coming in this autumn’s budget has been given by a senior minister.
Speaking to Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander was asked if Sir Keir Starmer and the rest of the cabinet had discussed hiking taxes in the wake of the government’s failed welfare reforms, which were shot down by their own MPs.
Trevor Phillips asked specifically if tax rises were discussed among the cabinet last week – including on an away day on Friday.
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Tax increases were not discussed “directly”, Ms Alexander said, but ministers were “cognisant” of the challenges facing them.
Asked what this means, Ms Alexander added: “I think your viewers would be surprised if we didn’t recognise that at the budget, the chancellor will need to look at the OBR forecast that is given to her and will make decisions in line with the fiscal rules that she has set out.
“We made a commitment in our manifesto not to be putting up taxes on people on modest incomes, working people. We have stuck to that.”
Ms Alexander said she wouldn’t comment directly on taxes and the budget at this point, adding: “So, the chancellor will set her budget. I’m not going to sit in a TV studio today and speculate on what the contents of that budget might be.
“When it comes to taxation, fairness is going to be our guiding principle.”
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Afterwards, shadow home secretary Chris Philp told Phillips: “That sounds to me like a barely disguised reference to tax rises coming in the autumn.”
He then went on to repeat the Conservative attack lines that Labour are “crashing the economy”.
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Chris Philp also criticsed the government’s migration deal with France
Mr Philp then attacked the prime minister as “weak” for being unable to get his welfare reforms through the Commons.
Discussions about potential tax rises have come to the fore after the government had to gut its welfare reforms.
Sir Keir had wanted to change Personal Independence Payments (PIP), but a large Labour rebellion forced him to axe the changes.
With the savings from these proposed changes – around £5bn – already worked into the government’s sums, they will now need to find the money somewhere else.
The general belief is that this will take the form of tax rises, rather than spending cuts, with more money needed for military spending commitments, as well as other areas of priority for the government, such as the NHS.
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