Police will have more time to prioritize victims of crime and bring criminals to justice under new rules announced today to cut unnecessary bureaucracy when recording crimes. .

Victims who report multiple crimes will receive more support from the police, as police time is freed up to focus on bringing to justice rather than keeping duplicate records. It follows a review by the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) which found that 443,000 police hours were spent filling out unnecessary forms and heavy administrative tasks – time that should have been should be used to cut down on crime and keep our streets safe.

All crimes reported for an incident will now be consistently recorded under the ‘primary offense’, rather than as multiple entries on the database recording the same incident at a time effectively. Police will continue to pursue all of the related offenses, finding out how they are linked, as part of their thorough investigative work.

This will yield a consistent approach to recording all offenses, viewing crimes recorded more accurately. It also aims to increase crime rates and ensure perpetrators face maximum punishment. For example, under these changes, once a victim has experienced stalking with criminals causing damage to their property, police will now put stalking at the forefront of their investigation. .

Today’s changes will come with training for officers on how to investigate such offenses, to get the best outcome for victims.

Crime and Policy Minister Chris Philp said:

Crime overall, excluding fraud and computer abuse, has halved since 2010, but we are determined to go further.

The victim should always be at the center of our response to crime. Listening to the force and cutting unnecessary bureaucracy will mean police officers can focus on solving crime and bringing justice to victims, as well as preventing it from happening. right from the start.

We are confident that we will achieve our goal of having the most police officers in history. With fewer unnecessary administrators, we also want them to be the most effective police officers in our history.

The changes will:

• standardize counting rules with a comprehensive ‘primary offense’ approach, to document the offense with the greatest impact on the victim
• Saves police time by no longer recording instances where messages might offend someone or where public disturbances have occurred but have been resolved. This will require a supervisor to sign, such as a Police Sergeant
• makes it easier to unrecord a crime when there is enough evidence that no crime has been committed. Initial requirements will vary depending on the severity of the offence

The changes will go into effect in the coming weeks, following recommendations from an in-depth review by the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC), head of Crime Data Integrity, Chris Rowley.

Gavin Stephens, Chairman of the NPCC, said:

Police officers must be fully focused on keeping people safe and making sure they feel safe. We want to deliver the best policy possible to the public, and the Police Productivity Review’s job is to remove barriers and improve efficiency.

The review determined that 443,000 of the officer’s hours were spent filling out forms and handling unnecessary administrative tasks. These equate to attending 220,000 cases of domestic violence, 270,000 thefts or nearly 740,000 cases of antisocial behavior.

Any move to free up our front lines to serve our community is welcome.

Andy Marsh, Executive Director of Police College, said:

We all want to see police spend as much time as possible catching criminals and keeping the communities they serve safe.

Officials and employees must be able to maintain high standards and accurately record and investigate reported crimes while not getting bogged down in unnecessary bureaucracy. Anything that helps the police focus on its core mission, including this change, is welcome.

Marc Jones, President of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, said:

As public representatives in the police industry, we have long called for changes to the way crime is recorded to ensure it is more transparent and less bureaucratic.

We welcome these changes that will simplify recording, allow police to focus on cutting crime, and allow the Police and Crime Commissioners to have a better grip on our Sheriffs. to account on behalf of victims and the public.

Led by the Home Secretary’s common sense control campaign, posting messages that may offend someone but where no victims have actually been identified will no longer be considered a crime. .

Police will also be empowered to make decisions in cases where communications, such as text messages or correspondence, are malicious or rude, but not threatening. Police should be on our streets investigating crimes like theft, not comments made online. They will therefore consider whether such issues should be addressed by social media companies.

This follows new statutory guidance on recording so-called non-criminal hate incidents, which will ensure police prioritize the freedom of expression our nation is building.

And police will no longer need to document public disturbances that have been handled or silenced after police arrive on the scene.

The improvements will provide a clearer picture of police workload and help them better interpret their response. Reviews of counting rules are carried out regularly, with significant changes being made previously in 1998, 2002, 2015 and 2017. The Crime Survey in England and Wales is the best measure of Crime trends experienced by the public according to the Office for National Statistics and are not affected by the changes.

We are determined to bring all offenders to justice. Together with police and the Crown Prosecution Service, we are looking at best practice models across England and Wales, and ensuring processes are balanced. We will ensure the criminal justice system can work in unison, reducing the burden of unnecessary adjustments, while maintaining the trust of victims and witnesses.

Frontline public services must also be tailored to individual and community needs. A new agreement between police and medical partners is being developed to provide better care for people in a mental health crisis and free up police officers’ time to practice. focus on fighting crime. This addresses concerns raised by the Chief of Police about the amount of resources being diverted from police work in response to mental health emergencies.

The new Country Partnership Agreement will be underpinned by the principle that mental health incidents should receive health feedback first – while recognizing that some situations may still require presence. police presence. Under this Agreement, local police and medical partners need to work together to improve the classification methods police use, to ensure the right agency responds to mental health incidents, types drop police involvement earlier in the unnecessary process.

Further changes are expected after the NPCC reviews police performance, aiming to make clear, actionable and actionable recommendations to improve the effectiveness of control. .