Where are the police? - Britons’ attitudes to anti-social - behaviour and the police

With the exception of murder and traffic offences, most Britons do not think that the police treat crimes with the appropriate level of seriousness Trust in the police is fragile with only half of the public now saying that they trust police officers • In February 2020, 63 per cent of Britons said they trusted police officers, compared to 83 per cent who said they trusted the NHS and doctors. [...] Since then, levels of trust have remained flat • Alongside lukewarm levels of trust, almost a third of the public think the police are corrupt or racist (at 31 per cent), and just 45 per cent of the public think the police tend to get it right 6 Where are the police? Britons feel that the police have the wrong priorities and need to be more visible • There is a growing sense that the police have b. [...] Lack of trust has clear implications for the willingness of the public to share information, report crimes and co-operate with the police, all of which ultimately go to the heart of the police’s ability to do the job well. [...] Jackie, Disengaged Traditionalist, 57, Northampton 27 Where are the police? The combination of lukewarm trust and lack of faith in the police’s ability to make the right judgements poses real challenges to the police’s standing and ability to do their job. [...] From the handling of Stephen Lawrence’s murder and the Stephen Port investigation to the evidence of endemic sexism and misogyny in police forces, we have seen the very real consequences of what happens when a commitment to DEI is not at the heart of policing.