Lisa Townsend is the Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey.
Like many of my fellow Conservative PCCs, I felt encouraged and hopeful reading the new Home Secretary’s open letter to police leaders in England and Wales last month. Suella Braverman was clear in her expectation that police must put the needs of the public and victims first, and much has been made of the reference and subsequent conversations about police turning up to every burglary.
For most of us this, along with extra officers on our streets, will seem like the ‘common sense policing’ the Home Secretary is keen to get back to. In reality, it is something many forces have been at least working towards if not yet achieving.
So why have the police apparently drifted so far from what we as the public expect them to focus on? Some will say it’s because they are focusing too much on ‘woke’ issues and Twitter spats, and you won’t find a more sympathetic ear than me on this subject. There is no doubt in my mind that the policing of non-crime hate incidents has no place in our society, regardless of how well-resourced a force is.
Merely being offensive is not an offence. Large public events such as Pride do require a police presence but there is a difference between policing them and taking part. Much as I can understand why a Met officer may want to give her all when my beloved Spurs score that winning goal, if she’s in uniform managing the crowd at White Hart Lane, then I expect her to save the celebration until she’s off duty.
I honestly don’t understand why Pride gets special treatment. The criminal law is different, and the Malicious Communications Act exists for good reason. If it would break the law offline, then the police are right to act when it takes place online.
Anti-social behaviour is another, often non-crime, factor which takes up police time. But where should police draw the line? I would argue that behaviour which is (subjectively) ‘anti-social’ deserves the attention of local councils, schools, and parents before the police are called out.
Indeed, if a young person has decided that sitting out on a cold rec ground in the middle of the night in November is preferable to being in his own home then the aforementioned agencies are probably better placed to intervene. However, behaviour that is clearly causing distress to others and which has the potential to escalate to a criminal offence presents an opportunity for neighbourhood police teams to prevent crime and reassure residents.
For too long, and well within our lifetime, the police did not interfere in the ‘domestic’, private space of a husband and wife. I remember being horrified when, during the first year of my law degree, I learnt that marital rape had only been a crime since 1992.
Thankfully the law, and society, takes a very different view today and as a result police forces across the country now have strategies in place to tackle domestic abuse, including the crime of controlling and coercive behaviour. Specialist units exist to support victims and society is becoming less tolerant of perpetrators. But an increase of bobbies on the beat won’t save a woman who is being held virtual prisoner in her own home.
The above seems clear to me. I don’t believe I’m alone. Nevertheless, we must focus on the more challenging aspects of resource management. In Surrey, an average day for the police force includes seven burglaries, seven missing persons, and 42 incidents relating to mental health. I suspect you can see where this going.
Last week, as part of World Mental Health Day, I spoke on a platform at the Royal College of Psychiatrists that had been organised by the High Sheriff for Greater London. All the speakers were from the criminal justice sector or had experience of it, and I kicked off the speeches with a stark take on the pressures facing the police.
Every aspect of the criminal justice system – police, probation, courts, coroners, prisons – is overwhelmed by the failure of the NHS and community mental health services to manage the demand of those who need help. It may not seem like common sense policing to you or me, but someone who is potentially dangerous to themselves or others takes up an increasing amount of police time, and there is no sign of that slowing.
Quite the opposite, in fact. Add to that the effect of substance misuse, the cost-of-living crisis, and the lasting effects of the pandemic on health services, and it is clear the problem is going to get worse before it gets better.
There are more tough conversations on resourcing to come, particularly given the economic situation. The police will be called out more as other public services falter. Commons sense dictates that it’s time for a conversation about what we really expect from our police and where other agencies need to step up.