Police leaders reject claim they are ‘more interested in being woke than solving crimes’

Falling charge rates ‘affected by austerity and the loss of thousands of police officers and staff’, chiefs say

Police officers at Notting Hill carnival (Kirsty O’Connor/PA)

Police leaders have hit back at claims they are “more interested in being woke than solving crimes” as prosecution rates stand at a record low.

A report by the Policy Exchange think-tank said officers should “consider the potential impact” of dancing or engaging with members of the public at protests and events.

It said recent polling found “the public were almost twice as likely to agree than disagree with the statement that ‘the police are more interested in being woke than solving crimes’”.

The report, written by former Metropolitan Police officer David Spencer, said police must “get the basics right” on crime and review training.

Mr Spencer said: “If the past few years have shown us anything, it is that British policing has lost its way. An overhaul of police leadership is needed which is capable of delivering for the public.”

The report came after criticism from the police watchdog over poor responses to burglary and theft, and official figures showing that only 5.6 per cent of recorded offences in England and Wales are charged.

The Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, said that years of cuts made by the government “had consequences” and 20,000 new officers currently being recruited would not make up for losses.

Responding to the Policy Exchange report, deputy chair Tiffany Lynch told TalkRadio: “We are seeing the consequences of the actions of 2011.

“We are making up the numbers that we lost but times have changed, the population has increased drastically. More is being asked of us and our officers can't cope.”

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) admitted that the proportion of crimes being solved and charged had fallen over the past five years and said it was looking at official recommendations on burglary and reviewing effectiveness.

A spokesperson added: “This has been impacted by austerity and the loss of thousands of police officers and staff, increasing complexity of policing and crime, growing demand related to mental ill health and impact of backlogs in the court system.”

It comes after HM chief inspector of constabulary told The Independent that police were spending up to a third of their time on non-policing matters, including responding to cardiac arrests, mental health crises and transporting patients to A&E.

Former chief constable Andy Cooke said police would only be able to get “back to basics” if they “have sufficient time and resources to go and do what the public would expect them to do”.

Liz Truss, who is expected to become prime minister when the result of the Conservative Party leadership contest is announced next week, has said she will order police to “cut key crimes by 20 per cent”.

Police sources previously called the proposal “incoherent” and questioned how the targets would be achieved without an accompanying strategy or dedicated resources.

A 2015 report found that previous crime targets created “perverse incentives to mis-record crime” and caused police to respond to some offences selectively “to the detriment of other calls”.