Ruralshire Police Officers are being asked to start arresting “violent crime” offenders for the offence ABOVE that which they believe has been committed. This means that if we think we are faced with an Actual Bodily Harm offence, we arrest for Grievous Bodily Harm.
The Charge can always be dropped to ABH later. It’s the arrest statistic which matters.
Why have we been asked to do this?
Because 2008/09 will be a “baseline year” for violent crime statistics. If we can show an over large number of serious violent crimes in 2008/09, then we can be successful in reducing serious violent crimes in 2010/11 when we go back to arresting for the correct offence in the first place.
I call it TARDIS policing.
This particular strategy is designed to outwit the Government’s annoying new appetite to start looking at quality in detected crime, instead of simply quantity.
This is a slightly more alarming version of the old “Drunk & Disorderly vs. Section 5 Public Order Act nonsense which was/is so prevalent all over the UK. I don’t particularly want this Blog to be a “whistle blowing” project or to get too technical, so here is a summary:
Ruralshire Constabulary is about to start cooking the books again on Crime Statistics, and if we are “at it” you can bet your life that all the others are too!
Gadget Note: I do NOT blame the Ruralshire Constabulary Chief for this state of affairs. He probably doesn’t even know. After all, it’s not the kind of thing one talks about on the 9th hole, and besides, he has appointed bright, aspiring Superintendents to get their hands dirty on issues like this.
That’s just great..
I can imagine the reaction of some scrotes when they know they have been arrested for something more serious than what has happened.
Get rid of the crap bosses, they are just making the workers lives more difficult than they need to be.
If this is true, and if anyone’s bonus depends upon those figures, then surely an arrest for fraud is in order? That might help with the statistics. Be careful with this one, Inspector G. It’s not the sort of thing your leaders would want known.
TP
Nice to know you still read the Blog. Remember, Ruralshire Constabulary is a fictional police force. That’s my defence and I’m sticking to it!
Ahh well, if your old enough whats goes round comes round, but this time in reverse, years ago coz stats were to high, we were told neigh…instructed that any attempt break was not to be recorded as such, but criminal damage, and if it was under a certain amount in cost, it was not recordable ! instant crime reduction, what a great job the lads, and lasses are doing !
We always used to arrest for a s.47 when it was really a s.39 because 39’s didn’t have a power of arrest. Since they changed the rules so you can arrest for it it made it easier and more accurate. It would appear accuracy is NOT what is wanted. Accuracy makes it far harder to fiddle the figures.
What you describe is NOT a lawful order.
You do NOT have to play this game.
There is NO chance that any SMT can man to man mark every prisoner booked into custody, leaving aside the custody officers role in this, nor can crime review office whalers justify re-recording ABH as a sect 18 or 20.
The crime report notes page have to reflect the scale of injuries, any attempt by another person to ask you re-write it, is also NOT a lawful order, assuming they outrank you. If they don’t ask them to change the crime .Won’t have seen the victim though will they?
Sorry to be so serious, but I fully accept that basic command units may have an idea, or two, on this subject.
Here’s an interesting thought; gerrymandering of crime stats for presentational purposes, is surely misfeasance in a public office.
Report that to the IPCC, they would like nosing around on a top corridor, beats thrashing PCs for a change.
Reactively proactive is quite right. Old farts like me STILL arrest for S.47, the probys all arrest for S.39. In fact I usually arrest for S.47 even when it’s a thin GBH. I’m doing my bit to keep our rural force the least violent in the country.
Changing the subject briefly guv, any news on the T shirts?
I see the web store has vanished tonight!
Surely, if the general public and the great unwashed find this out, it will reduce credibility of the police even further! And, what happens if someone is charged successfully for a greater offence than they have actually committed (That is assuming the CPS actually does anything other than losing the papers, and the defence is actually asleep) Someone will get egg all over, and it will not be the person who came up with this bright idea.
Oooh I can feel some challenges coming on when some poor PC presents scrotey boy/girl at custody for GBH when victim has a bump on the head and a small cut!
What a load of crap as usual!
And there am I an ‘umble beak…..fed up with seeing pub glassings prosecuted as common assault, a domestic today recommended for bind-over (lots of previous etc). No, I know it’s not the police but the CPS. Do therefore expect downgrading not by one notch, but by two….
Not like it will be the bosses giving evidence in court over any particular arrest YOU make.
You will be and then possibly in a position to explain YOUR actions.
Bosses always forget that. Especially when they are telling you what to do.
Presumably an attempted murder will result in an arrest for actual murder? Which begs the question, what do you do with the victim? Bury him/her? Persuade him/her to leave the jurisdiction?
My farce has come up with a brilliant way of increasing detections . They will now only record crime that is likely to detected or that old chest nut of multiple crimes, re than one victim, but a series of crimes as only ONE crime.
The defenders of malfeasnters will have a field day in that the lambs are be deflufft by the wrong set of shears.
I am confused. My memory was that ‘broken skin’ was an ABH in law and that was what the offender was arrested for, although the CPS would always downgrade it to a common assault.
If the offence for which the offender is arrested is one above the CPS charging standard, probably fair enough, but unfortunately it sounds as if the offence for which the offender is arrested is one above the offence in law.
Cooking the books is one thing, but what is being described sounds like an unlawful arrest. It would be interesting to know what the CPS’ take is on this and why (if they still do) undercharge assaults.
You cannot be serious – What would I look like if I brought an offender in for GBH and told custody I had arrested for murder! Laugh they would wet themselves as for solicitors they would have a field day with disclosure – So you arrested my client for murder and your getting a statement from the victim once his sore head has been treated. When did you say you left training school officer?
Bonkers just bonkers.
Isn’t it about time that some other CCs followed the lead of the Gang of Four in chasing crooks rather than numbers? Are the other CCs so bereft of self-confidence that they are willing to be led by the nose?
I think that MOPs (me, for instance) and the Police Forces (sod political correctness – I want a Force to protect me, not a “service” – vets do that) themselves need people to go after the villains rather than to collect statistics as to why they are doing a good job.
We want a good job doing, but where is the deterrent effect of a Force? Where are the thief-takers?
“Drunk & Disorderly vs. Section 5 Public Order Act nonsense which was/is so prevalent all over the UK”……….
In Toytown it most certainly isnae, boss!
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Interesting that your force is issuing an unlawful order.
Transparancy…blah, blah, blah…robustly…blah blah blah..rigourously…blah blah blah..all of our communities…blah blah blah…knife crime…blah blah blah…something must be done…blah blah blah…tackling teenage gang culture…blah blah blah…ethical reporting…blah blah blah…glass ceiling..blah blah blah…senior muslim officer discriminated….blah blah blah…equality…blah blah blah…employment tribunal…blah blah blah…NBPA all unfair…blah blah blah…worse crime scene I’ve ever seen in my career…blah blah blah….another teenager knifed to death…blah blah blah…detector arches at schools and railways stations…blah blah blah..greatest threat from terrorism…blah blah blah…ID cards, nothing to hide…blah blah blah….DNA register…vlah blah blah…civil liberties and MAgna CArta…blah blah blah…you can leave your doors unlocked in Haringey…blah blah blah…rigourously and robustly transparant…Blah blah blah…whats Boris doing about it and the bendy buses…blah blah blah…2012…blah blah blah…no discipline, sergeants are useless…blah blah blah…terrific buzz arounf Surry Police and new training for sergeants…blah blah blah…scruffy useless yobby cops…blah blah blah…NASTY OLD BUSINESS!
Those Superintendents are still thinking inside the box.
I mean, if you’re going to arrest Johnny Scrote for something that you don’t believe that he’s done, why bother to wait for him to do anything? Just tazer your local lags while they’re queuing for his dole money, and fit them up for whatever you happen to have unsolved on your books.
It doesn’t seem any less ethical. I mean, what’s important is that bad people are done for something, and that your boss gets the credit for it.
Ranter @ 23
Is there something you want to get off your chest ?
Brought this subject up with an ex colleague who now works in the Crime Figures Manipulation Unit of my local force and been told this instruction hasn’t filtered down to the local boys and girls here. Perhaps e-mails are slower in this part of the country or the instructions are being kept regional.
Pleeeeeeeeease get some more tee-shirts……….
This is nothing new, it’s been going on for ages. It’ll change to something else next week, always does.
IG, this Section 5 PO and drunk and disorderly. Is it from east to west and north and south of the country?.
Is it me or was it much easier, simpler and more efficient when the Police (usually the charge room sgt) ( I know he should be called Custody Oficer I’m not that old) made decisions about charges to fit the circumstances of what the scrote had done. CPS would find out when they got the file. I don’t remember too many being discontinued.
Was it better then or is my memory failing?
phoebedog, yes it was much simpler, until the poorly paid CPS (whom I’ve heard called the McDonalds of the Law Society by a defence solicitor) lost lots and lots of cases, then blamed the police so they took responsibility for everything they get. Now they don’t lose cases – they just plea bargain the charges down unlawfully so they don’t have to lose at trial because the defence solicitors are more competent and better paid.
MOP alert.
I’m just asking, what would be the general reaction of you guys if you came across a MOP wearing one of these tee shirts.
I already know what the reaction of the local scrotes will be, but then they don’t count in any meaningful way.
I’m just curious, let’s face it, I’m having one anyway.