Under-pressure police forces are taking days to respond to 999 calls that should be dealt with in an hour, the policing watchdog has said, as they come under “significant stress” from slashed budgets and increased demand.
Almost a quarter of forces in England and Wales are struggling to deal with emergency calls in a timely way, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has said in a report on police effectiveness.
West Midlands, Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire were singled out as having the worst record on delays in dealing with 999 calls.
In some cases, crimes that require a “prompt” response – that is, police attending within an hour of the call – are not dealt with for days. In Cambridgeshire, for example, the average “prompt” response time was 15 hours. This could include cases of serious assault, including sexual violence, inspectors said.
The inspectorate put the delays down to a lack of police officers available to attend the emergencies, ruling out a problem with the call handlers.
Labour said the findings showed that cuts to police budgets had left the service at breaking point, while the minister for policing pointed out inspectors found most forces to be effective at keeping people safe.
Zoë Billingham, Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary, who led the inspection, said she had “major concerns that policing is under significant stress”.
She said: “On occasions, that stress stretches some forces to such an extent that they risk being unable to keep people safe in some very important areas of policing.”
“About a quarter of forces are all too often overwhelmed by the demand they face, resulting in worrying backlogs of emergency jobs, with officers not attending incidents promptly, including those involving vulnerable people.”
Police budgets have fallen by around a fifth since 2010 and HMICFRS recently said forces will have £700m less a year to fight crime in the coming years, as well as fewer officers.
Earlier this week, Theresa May was officially rebuked by the UK Statistics Authority for misleading MPs and the public over false claims that the government was providing an extra £450m in funding to local police forces in 2018/19.
Louise Haigh, the shadow policing and crime minister, said: “We’ve had all the Tory spin on police funding, but this week we are finally getting to the truth.
“First the stats watchdog raps the prime minister for misleading claims and now the independent inspector is sounding the alarm – warning that some forces are so stretched that the lives of vulnerable people are being put at risk.
“It’s time the Tories owned up to the public because their cuts have left our police at breaking point and our communities at risk.”
As well as struggling to respond to emergency calls, HMICFRS found police officers were not seizing opportunities to look for evidence in the initial stages of the investigation.
In too many cases, so-called “golden hour” responsibilities were not being carried out, the watchdog said. House-to-house enquires, identifying witnesses and use of body-worn cameras were being overlooked.
In addition, a review of 2,700 crime case files revealed more than 50% of opportunities to identify an offender were missed and on a quarter of occasions house-to-house enquiries in search of witnesses were not made.
The watchdog also found police forces with high workloads and “poor supervision” are yet to risk assess 3,300 registered sex offenders, an 18% increase on last year.
As of July last year, there were 60,061 “wanted records” on the police national computer – including 374 relating to homicide and 1,135 to rape, the report said.
And it highlighted the ongoing “national crisis” in the shortage of detectives. There is currently a shortfall of 5,000 investigators across England and Wales, meaning one in five detective desks are empty, the report said.
The report added: “HMICFRS is concerned by this finding, because it shows that the system is under severe strain and in some forces the cracks are showing.”
Overall one force was rated “outstanding”, 30 were “good” and 12 judged to “require improvement”.
Nick Hurd, the minister for policing and the fire service, said: “The government recognises that crime is changing and demand increasing, which is why we have provided a strong and comprehensive settlement that will increase funding by up to £450m across the police system for 2018/19, including £270m drawn from increased precept contributions.
“The government has given police new powers to protect vulnerable people, including domestic violence protection orders and new offences under the Modern Slavery Act, and progress has been made in this area. But it is clear the police response can be inconsistent and requires improvement.
“Forces and police and crime commissioners must go further and act on HMICFRS’s recommendations, because they play a crucial role in responding to crimes, such as domestic abuse, as more people grow in confidence and report them.”