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Public satisfaction with police lower than in 1996

17/06/2008

Public satisfaction with the work done by the police has fallen dramatically in the last decade, a report will say today.

The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) says the proportion of people who say the police do a 'good or excellent job' fell from 64 per cent in 1996 to just 48 per cent in 2005.

The report claims public confidence in the police is low and that they are not felt by the public to be sufficiently responsive. People who have been victims of crime in the last year rate the police lower than those who have not been a victim of crime. Only 41 per cent of victims say the work the police do is 'good or excellent' compared to 52 per cent of non-victims.

The IPPR says the decline in satisfaction with the police is related to a perceived decline in traditional community policing and the loss of 'bobbies on the beat'. When asked what the police should do more of, 59 per cent said more foot patrols, followed by 36 per cent saying community policing.

The news comes despite record levels of government spending on policing.

Spending on the police has increased by 21 per cent in real terms since 1997 claims the IPPR, and most of this money has been spent on more police officers (up 11 per cent or by 14,000 officers between 1997 and 2007).

But despite the extra money going into recruitment, detection rates have declined and are only recently approaching the same level they were in1998, with around 24 per cent of recorded crimes being cleared up in 2007 compared to 29 per cent in 1999.

The report also claims performance is patchy across the country, with detection rates varying to a high degree between different police forces. In one example used by the report, successful detection rates for violent crime vary from just 26 per cent in one police force to 59 per cent in another.

While the report concedes there has been an increase in the number of offences brought to justice, this has not been due to more crimes being 'cleared up' and more offenders being brought before the courts.

Instead it says the introduction of new forms of discretionary punishment, such as penalty notices for disorder and on the spot fines are largely responsible for the improvements in cases being closed.

The report adds that where police officers in the USA make an average of 21 arrests per year, police officers in England and Wales make just nine.

While the government has already announced that it is considering introducing 'directly elected representatives' to oversee police forces for the first time. IPPR says it should also consider giving powers to local councils to oversee policing.

The report calls for increased police accountability including directly elected police commissioners and police authorities, as well as giving local authorities greater influence over community policing, including the power to approve local policing strategies and keeping part of council tax collected for policing.

The proposals also include introducing directly elected mayors and giving them powers to hold the police to account and elected police boards.

Guy Lodge, IPPR senior research fellow, said much needed to be done to combat the "accountability deficit in policing".

He added: "The government rightly accepts the need to improve police accountability and give the public a greater say in shaping policing priorities through direct election. But the government must recognise that there are a range of options available and that given regional variations a one-size-fits-all approach will not work."

A spokeswoman for the Home Office said the government had already announced plans to introduce minimum standards for policing and give people a greater say in how their streets are policed.

In response to accusations over detection rates the spokeswoman said: "We do not use the number of arrests made by police officers to measure the overall effectiveness of the police; but instead focus on outcome measures and the specific steps that forces are taking to keep communities safe."