nOh, the world is not going to hell in a handcart. But yes, lots of items are being stolen from the shelves of Tesco, M&S and all the major high-street stores – apparently, with apparent impunity.
It’s a huge loss for stores, and as political types discuss whether Britain is broken up, a hot potato: a shop coming close to symbolizing a nation in which too many people feel that Law & Order is just an American cop show on Channel 5.
As a former police officer, having been Chief Superintendent during 30 years at the Met and having been on the London Policing Board, I often reflect with former colleagues on where we are in terms of policing and public trust – and how we have dealt with shoplifting during our time in the force.
When I was a probationer PC in Tottenham, north London, I regularly attended calls to shops to arrest shoplifters. It was called GIC: given into custody. The new PCs have taken over a policing system based around shoplifting crimes: arresting, cautioning, recording property, escorting a prisoner to the police station, registering them in custody, interviewing them, charging them, and then taking them to court. It was valuable experience for the new executives, good for the stores and good for the community.
Where we stand today shows how far the decline and fall has taken place, and if you ask when and how it started and who is responsible, my answer would be clear: I blame Theresa May, now Baroness May, the longest-serving Home Secretary of modern times. May, who was in office from 2010 to 2016, and her government group of ill-advised advisers made five major decisions which have had a deep and damaging impact on policing today.
First, almost reduction in the number of police 22,000 officers and even more 20,000 police personnel – Which included Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) – It was absolutely wrong. These massive cuts meant that police leaders had to make some difficult decisions about where the cuts would be implemented. Ultimately, most forces decided to disband their neighborhood policing teams in order to maintain the ability to respond to 999 calls. This meant that safe neighborhood teams – like the one I started in Tower Hamlets, East London, consisting of a sergeant, two police constables and three PCSOs – were transformed into a model of shared supervisors and teams who needed to fulfill other roles together. Opportunities for officers to work with local people and identify problems to be jointly solved were reduced – and communities’ trust in policing was affected.
May’s second crime was the hyper-politicisation of policing, with the introduction of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) in 2012. PCC – Whose posts are will be finished soon – Are elected officials whose role is to oversee local policing, set budgets, and select chief constables. PCC’s first election Attracted only 15% of votersAnd once in office, incumbents largely sided with their respective Home Secretary or Shadow Home Secretary, regardless of local issues.
Donna Jones, Chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, Hampshire and Isle of Wight. said about far-right rioters Summer 2024: “The commonality between the protest groups appears to center on three key areas: the desire to protect Britain’s sovereignty, the need to maintain British values and, to do so, stop illegal immigration. To stop this the government needs to acknowledge what is causing this civil unrest. Arresting people, or creating violent disorder units, is treating the symptom not the cause.” Neither this nor the subsequent clarification he issued was tantamount to the necessary support from the hard-working officials of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. who were being attacked.
Third on the charge sheet: Introduction of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. This law ordered that shoplifting goods worth £200 or less would become a “summary-only offence”. Now, in practice, offenders are charged through a letter in the post and have the option of a fine rather than detention. Additionally, the police have lost the opportunity to arrest and search the suspects as well as the vehicles and properties belonging to them. Hardened criminals game the system by stealing items worth less than £200 and ignoring letters and fines. What May and his team fundamentally misunderstand is that this weak attempt to change how police deal with shoplifting – looking at it through a “best value” lens as opposed to policing – will only encourage thieves to steal with impunity.
Fourth, May failed to listen to experts who said that cuts to policing would lead to an increase in crime. At the annual conference of the Police Federation of England and Wales in 2015, He said: “So please – for you and for the thousands of police officers who work so hard every day – this crying wolf has to stop.” No wonder, the wolf is here.
Ultimately, changes in police leadership meant that, for a period, the most senior officers selected by Crime Commissioners did not have experience of working in different forces. Therefore PCCs with less experience were choosing leaders who themselves had limited experience. The yen for politicians to include an officer class meant that people with no background in policing were able to join as direct entrants. People who were completely unsuitable in my humble opinion were contacting me to become direct-entry superintendents. My daughter suggested that I could also contact my local hospital and ask for direct entry into heart surgery.
So what now? We’ve fallen too far, but a few simple things should help. Bring stability in police numbers. Don’t reduce the rank and file and assume there will be no adverse impact on crime statistics. Re-invest in neighborhood policing, and ensure that a reserve allocation of local officers and PCSOs can work in partnership to problem-solve and begin to rebuild trust between local communities and businesses.
We must trust police officers. Politicians and their advisers need to work together to restore public confidence in policing, starting with a campaign against shoplifting. As for the May era: never again.
