Plan to Ignore Low-Level Crime Sets ‘Very Dangerous Precedent,’ Says Scotland Police Federation Boss

Image of Police Scotland's Clyde Gateway headquarters at Dalmarnock, Glasgow, on Jan. 5, 2020. PA

Scottish officers have been told not to follow up minor crimes such as break-ins, prompting the chair of the country’s Police Federation to call it a “very dangerous precedent.”

Police Scotland released a statement on Monday saying that it was “testing a different approach to the way certain incidents are managed in the North East when they are reported to them.”

Crimes which they plan to effectively ignore include some break-ins and thefts where there are no leads or CCTV evidence. Police said that “hard choices are being made to deliver effective policing within the funding available.”

Critics said it comes off the back of the “politicisation of Police Scotland,” and that it will affect the “most vulnerable members of our community.”

More Time to Focus

“We want to give police officers more time to focus on proportionate lines of enquiry, responding to emergencies and keeping people safe from harm” Police Scotland said.

“On some occasions, crimes are reported where there is no associated threat, risk, harm or vulnerability and also no proportionate lines of enquiry for local police officers to investigate,” it added.

Commenting, divisional commander, Chief Superintendent Graeme Mackie said: “The pilot process will enable local police officers to focus on those crimes that have proportionate lines of enquiry and potentially enable them to give more time to local concerns and priorities in the area.”

Police Scotland said that “this is a system which worked to good effect previously in Grampian and we hope the pilot will achieve similar positive results.”

It added that “action is also being taken to achieve savings, with areas which encounter the greatest demand and carry the greatest risk in keeping people safe being prioritised for resources.”

Responding to the new pilot, Scotland Police Federation chair David Threadgold told the BBC that: “I do not believe that any police officer in Scotland wishes to provide a poorer service than we already being forced to do so to the public. I do think this sets a very dangerous precedent and one we must be very careful about.”

The Scottish Police Federation is an organisation that represents all Scottish police officers.

“We’re potentially going to withdraw a service from some of the most vulnerable members of our community while we continue to carry out functions which have got nothing to do with the police,” he added.

He told BBC Good Morning Scotland on Wednesday that “This I suspect will deliver very little in terms of operational capacity and it’s more about servicing the insatiable demand on policing whilst we continue to have reduced budgets and reduced Police Officer numbers.”

‘Politicisation of Police Scotland’

Senior lecturer in sociology and criminology Dr. Stuart Waiton told The Epoch Times by email that he suspects what is being voiced is, in part, “simply a reality that the police don’t have the resources to cover every potential crime.”

“However, this comes on the back of the politicisation of Police Scotland who have spent time and resources promoting their opposition to ‘hate’ and prioritising these type of issues—like domestic violence, something that some believe has not only been politically motivated as part of the culture war, but that has led to the over policing of personal relationships and the labelling of all women as potential ‘victims,’” he said.

Dr. Waiton noted that police training of recruits now begins “with a manual that starts with a 56 page section on diversity.”

“Given all of this, it is no surprise that there is concern raised about the lack of time and effort put into to tackling the many crimes that do not fit into the politically correct framework of policing in Scotland,” he added.

Cuts

Opposition parties have raised concerns about safety.

Scottish Tory justice spokesman Russell Findlay said: “The SNP government’s decision to impose severe and sustained cuts on police budgets has depleted policing across Scotland, with the fewest number of officers since 2008.

“Police Scotland should be applauded for being so candid about the reality of their predicament, but communities deserve better than the SNP’s weak approach to justice and shabby surrender to criminals.

“Ministers must be up front with the public about whether this policy will potentially be rolled out elsewhere in Scotland.”

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said: “While these decisions are a matter for the chief constable, it is vital Police Scotland continues to inspire public trust and maintains relationships with local communities.

“This will be crucial when the results of this pilot are examined to ensure local priorities continue to be met with no detriment to communities.

“The Scottish Government has increased police funding year-on-year since 2016-2017, investing more than £11.6 billion since the creation of Police Scotland in 2013, despite difficult financial circumstances due to UK government austerity.”

PA Media contributed to this report.