Almost half of Britons now have no confidence police will turn up to reports of burglary or car theft, new figures show
Almost half of Britons don't have confidence in the police to turn up if their home was burgled, a shocking new poll has revealed.
Some 46 per cent of adults have given up on the idea of a home burglary being properly investigated, with 49 per cent saying the same for car thefts.
The issue is even worse with pensioners, with 54 per cent of those aged 65 or older expressing a lack of confidence in officers attending their property.
Remarkably, eight per cent of Britons have admitted to delaying a phone call to police after suffering criminal incidents. A quarter of these felt officers would take too long to arrive, while over a third thought police would not have the time to take the crime seriously.
In 2023 ex-Home Secretary Suella Braverman ordered police to attend every burglary incident, though the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) have said resourcing is an issue.
A spokesman also said that 'an immediate response may not be possible or appropriate if the resident is away or does not want us to attend.'
The Police Federation, which represents 145,000 police officers in England and Wales, said at the time that forces simply didn't have enough resources to render such a promise viable.
The survey also showed that two in five adults said they would not be confident if they had experienced an assault in the street.
Almost half of Britons don't have confidence in the police to turn up if their home was burgled, a shocking new poll has revealed (file image)
Some 46 per cent of adults have given up on the idea of a home burglary being properly investigated, with 49 per cent saying the same for car thefts (file image)
The Liberal Democrats, who commissioned the polling, said the 'scandalous' findings were a direct consequence of underfunding of the police.
The party's Home Affairs spokesperson Lisa Smart said: 'These findings are scandalous - but with unsolved crime rates remaining sky-high, it is difficult to find them shocking.
'This crisis in confidence is a direct consequence of years of neglect and mismanagement from the previous Conservative government. They decimated frontline policing and left our communities to pay the price.
'People deserve to feel confident that if they do fall victim to crime, the police will turn up and properly investigate.
The new government must act urgently to restore the public's trust in policing. That requires a return to proper community policing - keeping our communities safe and reducing crime with more bobbies on the beat.'
Last month the Mail revealed that officers failed to solve a staggering 31,980 domestic burglaries - three in every four - across England and Wales in the three months leading up to June 2024.
Overall, just 2,494 charges were brought forward out of 42,488 investigations where an outcome was recorded. This is equivalent to just six per cent.
The Liberal Democrats have called on ministers to guarantee all domestic burglaries are attended to and investigated.
Remarkably, eight per cent of Britons have admitted to delaying a phone call to police after suffering criminal incidents (file image)
In 2023 ex-Home Secretary Suella Braverman ordered police to attend every burglary incident, though the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) have said resourcing is an issue
Last night an NPCC spokesman said: 'We remain resolutely committed to our attendance policy as this is an important first step in improving detection rates and bringing more offenders to justice.
'Burglary is an incredibly invasive crime which we know has a significant impact on victims and this is why in March 2023, police forces across England and Wales implemented a new attendance policy to ensure police attendance at every reported residential dwelling burglary.
'Not every burglary report is the same and like every effective emergency service, police control rooms across England and Wales must assess the threat, harm and risk associated with every call they receive to ensure attendance is effectively prioritised.
'The focus of initial attendance at residential burglaries is about capturing best evidence and supporting victims of crime but there are occasions when an immediate response may not be possible due to resourcing or appropriate if the resident is away or does not want us to attend.'
