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Police should focus on crime prevention 'not catching criminals' Police should focus on crime prevention 'not catching criminals'
(about 5 hours later)
Police should focus more on preventing crime than catching criminals, the new chief inspector of constabulary for England and Wales is to say. The primary role of the police is to prevent crime, not catch criminals, the chief inspector of constabulary for England and Wales has said.
Tom Winsor will also emphasise the importance of technology in cutting crime, in a speech to the Royal United Services Institute. Tom Winsor said focusing on would-be offenders, likely victims and potential crime hotspots would save taxpayers' money and keep more people safe.
He will tell the security think-tank a greater focus on targeting would-be offenders and potential crime hotspots will save money and mean fewer victims. But police would still "come to calls for help", he told the BBC.
Mr Winsor took up the role last year. The Home Office said force priorities were a matter for chief constables and elected police and crime commissioners.
His speech comes as the think-tank Policy Exchange recommends introducing a modern version of the "Tardis" police box - made famous by Dr Who - to allow people to report crimes, provide witness statements and access information. Mr Winsor will expand his ideas in a speech to security think tank the Royal United Services Institute on Monday.
BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw says Mr Winsor has spent much of his first six months in the post listening to the views of officers. It comes as another think thank, Policy Exchange, recommended introducing a modern version of the "Tardis" police box - made famous by Dr Who - to allow people to report crimes.
"Now he's ready to set out his ideas," our correspondent says. 'Prolific and persistent'
Controversial choice Mr Winsor told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the "primary purpose" of the police was to prevent crimes happening in the first place.
A lawyer and former rail regulator - but without experience of serving in the police - Mr Winsor was a controversial choice to be chief inspector of constabulary. "All the costs of the criminal justice system - and they are considerable - are incurred downstream of an offence being committed," he said.
In March last year, he published a report for the government on the police service which recommended far-reaching reforms in the widest-ranging review of police pay and conditions in more than 30 years. "Prevention is far better than cure. If we can prevent offences taking place and we prevent there being any victims, which is absolutely critical... we save all of those costs."
Recommendations in the report included fast-tracking recruits to inspector level within three years and opening up chief constable roles to senior officers from countries such as Canada, the US, Australia and New Zealand. He said there should be greater use of technology and intelligence to "concentrate resources on crime hotspots".
He also advised a cut in the starting salary for police constables in England and Wales, down to £19,000 - a reduction of £4,000. Resources should be used "to know where repeat and vulnerable victims of crime are" and "know where the offenders are - those who are wearing tags and those who are just known to be the most prolific and persistent and dangerous offenders in the community - and take them off the streets".
In his first major speech since taking up the post, he will call for a return to the police's basic mission, as devised by the founder of the service, Robert Peel, to prevent crime and disorder. Police budgets are being cut by the government, but Mr Winsor said forces had "to do more with fewer resources".
Mr Winsor believes too many policemen and women think their principal job is to catch criminals. "Therefore, the biggest bang for the public's buck is on crime prevention," he said but added: "When crimes have been committed they will respond."
Meanwhile, Policy Exchange's Rebooting the PC Report recommends the introduction of modern versions of police boxes in which people could "report crime, provide witness statements, discuss concerns and access information". A lawyer and former rail regulator - with no experience of serving in the police - Mr Winsor's appointment as chief inspector last year was a controversial choice.
In March 2012, he published a report for the government which contained wide-ranging changes to police pay and conditions.
Recommendations included fast-tracking recruits to inspector level within three years and cutting the starting salary for police constables in England and Wales to £19,000 - a reduction of £4,000.
'Cops in shops'
Meanwhile, Policy Exchange's Rebooting the PC Report recommends the introduction of modern versions of police boxes where people can "report crime, provide witness statements, discuss concerns and access information".
"These would be technologically-enabled police contact points featuring two-way audio-visual technology so that members of the public could communicate directly with police staff," the report said."These would be technologically-enabled police contact points featuring two-way audio-visual technology so that members of the public could communicate directly with police staff," the report said.
Public access
The report also says that, faced with budget cuts, police chiefs must avoid putting "buildings before bobbies" and should replace police stations with "cops in shops".The report also says that, faced with budget cuts, police chiefs must avoid putting "buildings before bobbies" and should replace police stations with "cops in shops".
And it also cited "a dramatic decline" in station front counter use, saying forces should "manage the police estate in a smarter fashion". It quoted Met Police figures which showed the number of people reporting crime at front counters in London fell by more than 100,000 between 2006-07 and 2011-12.
It quoted Met Police figures which show the number of people reporting crime at front counters in London fell by more than 100,000 between 2006-07 and 2011-12. A Home Office spokesman said decisions about the most effective use of resources "including the number, location and operating hours of police stations" were a matter for chief constables and police and crime commissioners.
A Home Office spokesman said decisions about the most effective use of resources "including the number, location and operating hours of police stations are a matter for chief constables and police and crime commissioners". The Police Federation of England and Wales, which represents rank and file officers, said a fall in the use of front counters had been "happening around the country for many years".
The Police Federation of England and Wales, which represents rank-and file officers, said a fall in the use of front counters had been "happening around the country for many years". But its vice-chairman, Steve White, said police stations were "accessible to the public, all day and night, something which is not provided by local shops and businesses".
But its vice-chairman Steve White said police stations "are accessible to the public, all day and night, something which is not provided by local shops and businesses".
The Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) said that "in an age of austerity, relentlessly challenging established practice to improve local policing is more important than ever".The Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) said that "in an age of austerity, relentlessly challenging established practice to improve local policing is more important than ever".
"We need to think differently to equip policing for the years ahead, identifying and sharing what helps - be it 'cop shops', public contact booths or Special Constables and volunteers complementing the way we patrol communities," Acpo's Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Donald said. "We need to think differently to equip policing for the years ahead, identifying and sharing what helps - be it 'cop shops', public contact booths or special constables and volunteers complementing the way we patrol communities," Acpo's Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Donald said.