University News Last updated 28 July 2015
A University criminologist has raised concerns after the head of the new National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said that police forces won’t be prioritising burglaries as a result of budget cuts.
Head of the NPCC Sara Thornton told the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire earlier today that police forces will instead focus more on crimes that are on the increase, including concerns about terrorism and cyber-crime.
Professor Liz Yardley, Director of the Centre for Applied Criminology, said: “In discussions about police priorities and budget cuts, the needs of the victim are becoming lost. Attending the scene of a burglary is significant for victims – it shows that someone actually cares about the burglary and that someone wants to take steps to catch the perpetrator.
“Police absence or presence is an important symbol of how much the state thinks you matter as an individual victim of crime and this can impact upon how easy or difficult it is to move on after burglary”, she added.
“Although we’re now seeing around 3 in 100 households experiencing a domestic burglary, compared to around 9 in 100 households in 1995, I’m concerned that the discussions around police ‘priorities’ are having the unfortunate effect of making victims of burglary feel that they don’t matter – and this is something we should be very worried about.”