Article 3JW5M The Guardian view on rising crime: more police alone can’t solve it | Editorial

The Guardian view on rising crime: more police alone can’t solve it | Editorial

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Editorial
from Economics | The Guardian on (#3JW5M)
The effects of austerity are increasingly evident. But protecting the public will take more than hiring extra officers

Last year's general election gave the Conservatives an uncomfortable reminder that although they like to proclaim themselves the guardians of law and order, the issue can be wielded against them too. In 1997, Tony Blair demonstrated the effectiveness of his "tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime" mantra. Twenty years later, Jeremy Corbyn pledged 10,000 extra officers on the streets of England and Wales, and attacked the cuts in funding and staffing imposed by Theresa May in her years as home secretary, when police numbers fell by around 20,000. What was thought to be safe territory for the prime minister proved more treacherous, especially in a climate of heightened fears over terrorist attacks.

Last month the Labour leader returned to the fray, pressing Mrs May on the rise in recorded crime: gun and knife crime have seen particularly sharp increases in recent months. The personal experience and visceral fears of voters, as much as the statistics, make this an issue that resonates across regions and classes. On Wednesday, the police inspectorate warned that under-pressure forces are in some cases taking days to respond to 999 calls that should be dealt with in an hour. While the most urgent calls met an effective response, those deemed to need a "prompt" response within an hour - including potentially serious assaults - faced a much longer wait: an average of 15 hours in the case of Cambridgeshire, for example. The report warned that cracks are beginning to show due to the continuing financial pressures and sharp increase in demand; and that unless forces take urgent measures, the lives of vulnerable people could be at risk. The failure to respond efficiently to a report of domestic abuse, for example, not only compromises the chances of an effective investigation but threatens the safety of survivors and sends a message to perpetrators that they can get away with it.

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