‘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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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.
A workman saved a seven-year-old boy from a burning car in the aftermath of a deadly crash caused by a suicidal ex-pilot, an inquest has heard.
The schoolboy’s rescue came following the collision on the M6, which killed former RAF man Richard Woods and four others, in October last year.
Last week a coroner ruled that Woods, 40, took his own life by deliberately driving his Skoda the wrong way down the motorway while drunk and hitting a Toyota Yaris head-on.
The driver of the Toyota, Jaroslaw Rossa, 42, was also killed, along with his two sons, Filip, 15, and Dominic, seven, and his partner Jade McEnroe, 33.
Cockermouth Coroner’s Court heard on Thursday that Ms McEnroe’s son was also in the car but survived after workman Gavin Walsh came to his rescue at the scene, which was near Tebay services in Cumbria.
In a statement to the inquest, Mr Walsh said he was a passenger in a transit van travelling to Scotland when he witnessed the crash.
He jumped out of the vehicle and used a jack to smash the rear windscreen of the Toyota and pulled the boy out of the burning vehicle.
Mr Walsh said: “We really did try, I can assure everyone we did our best. We only had minimal time.
“I saved a life that day and I hope never to witness anything like that again.”
He added that he has never stopped thinking about the boy, and said: “I hope we will meet again one day and I will give you a massive hug.”
At the time, the family were returning to Glasgow from a trip to Legoland in Windsor, Berkshire.
The inquest heard that Wood, who was travelling at a speed of at least 65mph, would have been charged with manslaughter had he survived.
Recording conclusions of unlawful killing, Cumbria assistant coroner Margaret Taylor said: “I found that Jaroslaw, Jade, Filip and Dominic died as a consequence of the unlawful acts of another driver.”
The inquest heard how Mr Woods, from Cambridgeshire, had served a distinguished 14-year career in the RAF and was a flight instructor for BAE Systems at the time of his death.
Jade McEnroe. Pic: Cumbria Constabulary
Dominic and Filip. Pic: Cumbria Constabulary
In Ms Taylor’s record of inquest, Mr Woods was said to have been experiencing “a number of stressors in his life” and had a “history of harmful use of alcohol”.
Following the crash, he was found to be nearly four times over the legal drink-drive limit and a two-thirds empty bottle of gin was found in his car.
On the day of his death, concerns had been raised over his behaviour at a work conference near Preston in Lancashire.
Mr Woods failed to return to his seat after lunch and was later spotted driving erratically and swerving across three northbound carriageway lanes on the M6.
After pulling onto the hard shoulder, he then proceeded to U-turn and drove southward on lane three.
Filip, Dominic and Jaroslaw Rossa. Pic: Cumbria Constabulary
Detective Sergeant Deborah Story, from Cumbria Police, told the inquest that Mr Woods would have been prosecuted on four counts of manslaughter had he lived.
She said hypothetical charges of murder were considered by detectives but not thought appropriate because of a lack of information that Mr Woods knew the family or anything that provided a link between them.
Ms McEnroe’s parents, Marie McEnroe and George McNellis, told the coroner they thought it was “murder”.
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A statement from the mother of Filip and Dominic, and the ex-wife of Mr Rossa, Kamila, was read out at the inquest.
She said Mr Rossa, known as Jarek, was born in Poland where they became a couple and went on to have three boys.
He loved playing computer games and had “lots of friends”, she said, and worked at the Wagamama restaurant in Silverburn, Glasgow.
She said she was “devastated” over the deaths, adding: “Our lives will never be the same.
“I am heartbroken at the passing of my beloved angels Filip and Dominic.”
Marie McEnroe said her daughter, a spa therapist, had been in a relationship with Mr Rossa for about two-and-a-half years.
She said Jade had been a “brilliant mother” to her only child, was “really happy” with Mr Rossa and it was “lovely chaos” when all the boys were playing together.
Ms McEnroe added: “Life changed forever that day”.
Ms Taylor praised the “selfless acts of bravery” from those in the aftermath of the collision, including Mr Walsh, who she said went towards the burning car “without hesitation for his own safety”.
The coroner added: “Without his swift response, Jade’s child would also have perished.”
Addressing the bereaved family members, she said: “Your loss is unimaginable but you have conducted yourself with dignity and I thank you for that. I wish you strength for the future.”
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.
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