- A pilot project saw thefts, burglaries and vandalism with no evidence left behind
- Police Scotland says it will ‘better manage public and victim expectations’
- The size of the force is currently the smallest since 2008, with 16,363 officers
Police in Scotland could stop investigating petty crimes such as theft if there is no evidence to save time, in a move that could give criminals a free hand if they leave no evidence behind.
Police Scotland’s shocking move, which stands in contrast to the British government’s ideals that every theft should be investigated, will see low-level cases without leads immediately dropped.
The idea is to free up police resources to focus on solving more serious cases – but critics say this move will only benefit the criminals, the Telegraph reported.
In a pilot project completed in November, complaints about some thefts, burglaries and vandalism were closed if there were no clues or CCTV footage.
It comes as Police Scotland sees its smallest police force since 2008, after shrinking to 16,363 officers from 16,645 the year before.
If the plan comes into effect, it will mean that minor crimes without evidence will be expunged
Chief Constable Jo Farrell, who advocated the plan, said it was ‘not a no-investigation policy’.
Chief Constable Jo Farrell, in an attempt to calm public nerves, has said it is ‘not a no-investigation policy’, despite literally being specific that – if the plan goes ahead, minor cases without leads will be dealt with immediately after initial assessment are dismissed. .
Police Scotland also think the idea, which they claim will only affect five percent of cases, is a good one because, according to the Telegraph, it will mean victims will not get their hopes up.
Deputy Chief Constable Malcolm Graham told the newspaper: ‘We have managed the expectations of the public and victims at the time of initial contact better than we might do at this time.
“Work is underway to quantify the benefits in terms of capacity to free up frontline officers, where in the past they may have been assigned a series of crime reports when there was no proportionate or reasonable line of inquiry to pursue. .’
Not everyone thinks the plan is a good one. Russel Findlay MSP, Shadow Justice Secretary of the Scottish Parliament is one of them, but puts the blame at the door of the ruling party: ‘The SNP’s brutal and persistent cuts and their weak justice agenda have left police numbers at their lowest levels since 2008, with officers now unable to investigate some crimes.
“It should be a source of shame to ministers that this dangerous pilot project will be rolled out across Scotland.
“The public is not even told which crimes will not be investigated, nor how these decisions will be made.
Russel Findlay MSP, shadow justice secretary of the Scottish Parliament, blamed it on a lack of funding
Tulliallan Castle – Scotland’s police headquarters – the force is the smallest in 16 years
“Our hard-working police officers did not sign up for this. Communities don’t deserve it. The only winners are the criminals.’
If Police Scotland decides to go ahead with the plan, it will be rolled out across the province.
There were an estimated 494,000 crimes in 2021/2022, of which almost three quarters were property crimes and a quarter were violent crimes.
In the same year, one in ten adults experienced a crime, but this is half of what was the case ten years earlier.
Less than half of adults in Scotland said in a 2021/2022 survey that the police in their area are doing an excellent or good job. Victims of crime and people living in the most deprived areas were less likely to have positive feelings about the police, according to the survey results.