Police Also Have High Pressure Targets

Watching the news last week I found it amusing to see a report on traffic wardens who give tickets to motorists simply because they have targets to hit.

People were outraged that fines were being issued instead of a bit of discretion, purely on the basis that the wardens had figures they were aiming for. Sitting in the police canteen at work, I raised an eyebrow. Sadly the police is not too dissimilar in that we also have high pressure targets to hit.

Although results are a way in which the police can be measured, unfortunately I see it every day having a negative effect on the genuine victims of crime. When an incident happens, the first police unit should head for the victim, make sure they are okay, obtain as much information as possible and circulate it to the other units. The officers could spend a lengthy period of their shift depending on what they’re dealing with, consoling the victim, taking statements and looking after their wellbeing. While this is happening, another officer could breeze in, arrest the suspect and get the points which go towards their personal target. Suddenly, going to help the victim doesn’t seem so appealing anymore, when everyone knows it won’t help them hit their quotas.

The other day a call came out that a shop had been robbed by a number of males who were armed with weapons. The surrounding area was flooded with patrol cars searching for the suspects who had been seen nearby. As vehicles began sweeping roads and officers on foot patrol started checking front gardens, calls continually came in from other informants stating they had seen suspicious males jump through their garden. Each time one of these calls came in, pandemonium would occur with cars passing each other in a desperate bid to collar the crooks.

I happened to be in one of these cars and had my belt off, ready to get out sprinting after anyone that I happened to see hiding somewhere. Twenty minutes had passed since the original call came out and we needed more information.

“Officers with the victim,” I said into my radio. “Do you have any more descriptions on the suspects?”

The radio went quiet so I tried again. Suddenly our control room crackled over the airwaves informing us that they had no reports that anyone had gone to the victim. On hearing that at least one suspect had been arrested by a nearby unit, we dashed to the victim and found them alone and upset.

I then spent the next four hours gaining information and writing a painstakingly detailed statement from the victim which I had no problem with doing. I knew that my behaviour would have a direct impact on how the victim felt and how they portrayed the police. What I did not get however, is any recognition of my work and more importantly in the eyes of the management team, any points for the arrest which could make me appear a lazy officer.

I have seen cases where units deliberately take a longer route to get to the scene of a crime in order that they are not first on scene and so do not have to deal with the victim – instead cracking on with their hunt for the valuable points.

I think it is sad that officers are now under so much pressure to get results that they will avoid dealing with the victim in order that they can get an arrest instead and therefore get the management team off their back. It’s a shame that senior officers become politicians and forget about real policing. But if better statistics is what they want rather than best policing practices, then that is what they shall get.

It Sounded Like An Interesting Call

One of the reasons I joined the job was to help genuine innocent victims of crime and to make sure that justice was served on the crooks that make people’s lives a misery.

A large percentage of the time though is wasted by people who misuse the police to score cheap points or to get something done.

The other day a call came out that the informant’s neighbour was in the street armed with a machete. It sounded like an interesting call and we took it. As we raced along busy streets my mind thought to what would greet us when we arrived on scene. Either it would be a machete-wielding maniac that could need CS spray or use of batons to comply with our instructions, or it would be all quiet on our arrival.

In typical fashion, it was the latter so decided to approach the door of the house where the neighbour with the alleged machete lived. Holding my baton covertly in my hand, I was surprised to see an elderly woman answer the door.

“I’m just unlocking the door,” she shouted through the glass pane as I heard the noise of a key clicking into the lock.

I took a step back from the door in the unlikely event that she would suddenly spring out armed with some sort of weaponry and was almost disappointed when I realised she wouldn’t. She looked confused to see us and I explained why we had been called.

“My neighbour came to my door threatening me,” she said. “But I never unlocked it and I most certainly was not waving a machete about,” she added almost indignantly.

I began making my way next door when the door flung open and a young man, about 22 years old age appeared looking quite excited.

“I called you,” he said as he pointed at the elderly female my colleague was talking to. “She’s crazy, let me show you what she’s done.”

He began walking down the side of his house into his back garden and I followed somewhat confused.

“What I need to do is find out why you’ve called us,” I started to say.

“Yes, I’m showing you,” he snapped.

He took me into the back garden where I could see there was no fence between their adjoining gardens.

“I put up a line of string across the length of our garden to mark out where a new fence would go and look it at,” he pointed, almost disbelievingly.

I looked across and saw a limp bit of string attached to one stick. I looked back at the man confused.

“Sorry, what seems to be the problem?” I asked politely.

“She’s cut my piece of string,” he said glaring at me. “Can’t you see? That’s criminal damage, I want her arrested and charged please, it cost me £7 to buy that ball of string.”

I nearly laughed out loud from frustration. Whenever a police officer responds to an emergency call, there are always risks involved. Driving through the streets with blue lights and sirens can be somewhat dangerous, to us and to other members of the public. I accept that everything is done to minimise the risks, but there is still a risk and sadly sometimes people do get hurt when mistakes are made. I don’t mind risking my safety to help a genuine victim in an emergency. But what I cannot stand is timewasters who risk lives by abusing the 999 system.
“You called 999 because she’s cut your string,” I said slowly.

“Not just that,” he said annoying. I was beginning to dislike him more by the second. “She’s cut it three times now. I want her arrested.”

“She’s an 80-year-old woman,” I said.

“And?” he said, his tone of voice getting higher in pitch as he became more agitated.

“You said she had a knife…”

“It was a machete.”

“Ok machete. But she didn’t open her front door, she hasn’t committed any offences.”

“I see,” he said angrily. “You’re not going to do anything. Well thank you very much for your help,” he said sarcastically.

“What I advise you do is don’t put any more string up if it’s winding her up and let the council do it when they plan where the boundaries are.”

“Fine, I’ll take your shoulder numbers and report you.”

I left the property feeling confused and frustrated. Technically I could have arrested her. But there was no way I was going to arrest an 80-year-old woman for a bit of string. It most certainly was not in the public interest and I like to think I applied common sense. Whether or not I now get a complain out of it remains to be seen, but I await it with humorous anticipation.