Vocal Voices

This time last week there was jubilation in Westminster and the media about the latest crime figures. Much, very very much, was made of the 12% decrease in violent crimes and there was back-slapping all round. Those who questioned the figures were summarily dismissed.

Today a report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) indicates that 20% of all crimes could be going unreported by the police. Included in the figures of crimes not reported are sexual offences, violent crimes, robbery and burglary.

If the HMIC figures are taken into account then it looks as though crime has risen, which is what many of us always suspected.

I don't know if it's up or down, but in my own experience thing's aren't being recorded as crimes when they should be.

I was witness to an assault a few months since. I phoned the details into the police who said that they would be in touch if the offence was crimed. They did not get back to me.

I was discussing this with #1 son (The policeman), last week. He told me that the constabulary are taking every opportunity to massage statistics. Reporting offences as lower crimes when multiple offenses are in the same arrest, of course only if serious crime figures are up. Even not prosecuting unless the victim threatens to go to the press; if they can get their "unacceptable" numbers down.

Of course, it's always acceptable to have road traffic detection rates go up. The street officers even have quotas to fill for different types of offenses, like parking and they are challenged if they don't fulfil them.

It's incredible really. Who would have thought that the UK police force would become a political reporting shop where crime because something which might be politically inexpedient to either pursue or report. Well, outside of the actual arena of politicians themselves, where we've always know this goes on....

I'm convinced the police fiddle their figures to give a false impression that they are doing a good job.

Fiddling the figures and hoodwinking the public seems to be common practice in many quarters today.