This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

A senior police chief has said his force is having to let criminals get away unpunished because of the huge pressure his officers are under, with legitimacy and confidence in law enforcement eroded.

The comments from Dave Thompson, chief constable of West Midlands police, came as the emergency services watchdog warned that forces were under “significant pressure” and struggling to cope with the demands on them.

The government is currently trying to fend off criticism that its 19% funding cut to the police since 2010, which has led to 45,000 officers and staff being lost, has jeopardised public safety.

Thompson, chief of the second biggest force in England and the lead for police chiefs in their battle for more resources, told the Guardian: “We are not always able to take the fight to the criminals in the way we would want – in some routine cases, the delays and stretch are resulting in charges not being brought as they would have years ago.”

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) warned that the “cracks in the system are widening”, as it released inspections of 14 forces in a report on Thursday.

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It found a national shortage of detectives, with 14% of roles vacant – meaning a quarter of thefts and common assaults are being investigated by underqualified officers, who are drafted in to fill the gaps.

Matt Parr, who led the inspection, said: “Response officers didn’t do investigations. Now they do. They don’t have the same accreditation, they don’t have the same experience.”

He said forces were screening calls to manage demand, jargon for not having enough officers to investigate crimes such as theft, lower level assaults and burglary.

HMICFRS said neighbourhood policing, vital for building relationships that can lead to intelligence and crime prevention work, was suffering, with officers being pulled out to cover gaps elsewhere.

Thompson said the deterioration in the way police are handling routine offences is damaging the faith the public has in law enforcers.

He said: “The public know that serious organised crime and counter-terrorism are important.

“What is cheesing off the public is the routine stuff. That’s the stuff for the vast majority that affects legitimacy and confidence.

“It’s the phone not getting answered, and not turning up for some jobs people expect us to do. That is damaging confidence and legitimacy.”

The government is currently considering whether and where to loosen the shackles of austerity on key public services. Policing is trying to get a commitment for more money – but some fear the turmoil of Brexit may lead that spending round to be postponed.

Violent crime is rising, especially homicides and knife crime, and polling shows law and order rising up the list of voters’ concerns.

HMICFRS assessed that most of the 14 forces it inspected were doing well in key areas, managing to innovate and reducing inefficiencies.

Other issues the report identified were a lack of supervision and oversight of stop and search, a tactic police see as vital to stemming rising killings and knife crime. It said the strain put on officers was affecting their wellbeing. The stretch also means counter-corruption measures are suffering.

Parr said: “If you had an increase in funding for police forces, they would be better able to deal with some of these pressures.” He added that the solution was not as simple as having more resources.

The increased pressures on the police include a mix of budget cuts and increasingly complex demands being put on them, including picking up work from other reduced services, especially mental health bodies, and requests from HMICFRS to fulfil new requirements.

John Apter, chair of the Police Federation, representing rank and file officers, said: “Our recent survey showed extreme stress in policing is very much real, with nearly 90% of officers saying there are not enough of them to manage the demands faced by their team or unit.

“And now we have this report laying bare the consequences of years of austerity cuts – how much more evidence does the government need for it to provide a meaningful funding deal?”

The Home Office said: “We welcome the findings of HMICFRS, which show these forces are generally performing well.

“We recognise new demands are putting pressure on the police and we are committed to ensuring they have the resource they need. This is why we have provided more than a £1bn increase in police funding compared with last year, including council tax and funding to tackle serious violence.

“There are clear areas for improvement for some forces and we expect them to consider these findings carefully and to identify and implement improvements swiftly.”