Are Vauxhall Corsas really the reason why criminals are getting away with it?
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Version 0 of 1. Reports that West Midlands police are finding it harder to catch criminals because their Vauxhall Corsas are too slow – and don’t have sirens anyway – seem to tell a tale of cost-cutting taken to the point of madness. But as always, that isn’t quite the whole story. The 109 Vauxhall Corsas purchased by West Midlands police over the past two years were meant for use by neighbourhood police teams and community support officers. “At no point was the Corsa intended for response work as it is a low-performance vehicle,” says David Jamieson, the West Midlands police and crime commissioner. “We only really use it when we don’t have enough vehicles, or the good ones are broken down,” says one anonymous West Midlands cop. “You’re not allowed to use them for pursuits anyway. You can blue-light people in them, but not pursue.” The West Midlands Police Federation, however, has compiled more than a hundred reports of officers attending emergencies without a siren. They are obliged to drive at patrol speed and heed all traffic signals, and they don’t always arrive within target times. The explanation offered to the public – “Sorry, we’re not allowed to drive fast” – doesn’t inspire much confidence. This equipment-shortage stands in sharp contrast to the US where, thanks to controversial civil forfeiture laws that allow police forces to keep as much as 80% of the assets they seize, many local cops are driving around in state-of-the-art pursuit vehicles. In addition, surplus military vehicles have been distributed to police forces by the US government, a programme that came under review in the wake of the riots following the shooting of black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. It emerged that Ferguson’s police force – 55 officers in a city of 21,000 people – had four Humvees at their disposal. In the West Midlands, the real problem seems to be manpower rather than horsepower: up to 2,500 more West Midlands police and civilian staff will have to go in the next four years, thanks to further funding cuts. “I’m surprised the best we can do is slag off the Corsas,” says the anonymous officer, “when the whole system is broken. It’s not the Corsa’s fault that there aren’t enough police officers.” |