Police Scotland defends plans to no longer investigate every crime amid claims not 'about saving money'

An evaluation of a pilot scheme that adopted the new approach, referred to by the force as a “proportionate response to crime”, found a majority of officers felt the change had brought about a positive difference to their workload. The assessment calculated some 2,657 officer hours were freed up over the course of the 12-week-long trial.

Now, the force has recommended the proportionate response policy should be rolled out across Scotland on a phased basis, subject to ongoing engagement and evaluation. Assistant Chief Constable Emma Bond said the shift was “not a policy of non-investigation”, and that it had already been in use informally before the national force was set up in 2013.

She stressed all reported crimes would continue to be recorded and passed to local policing teams to be kept under review. The force has claimed the change would mean around 10,500 minor crimes are no longer allocated to frontline officers nationally per year.

However, the change, which will be discussed at a meeting of the Scottish Police Authority’s (SPA) policing performance committee next week, is likely to prove contentious amid ongoing concerns over the resources at the cash-strapped force’s disposal. The Scottish Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, has already questioned the new policy, describing it as a strategy that is being driven “purely by finance” and not by “basic policing principles”.

The evaluation of the pilot found some 472 crime reports – about 4.6 per cent of all crimes recorded within the north east division over the 12-week period – were “directly filed”, as opposed to being allocated for enquiry. The process means that in cases where there are no investigative opportunities, such as CCTV or witnesses, and no concerns over the “threat, harm, vulnerability or risk” to the caller, the reports are simply recorded and filed for no further enquiry. One example cited by the force was when a member of the public reported damage to a car bumper in a car park where there was no CCTV and no note left.

The force said that prior to the pilot, 72 per cent of A division officers across Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray reported they would regularly be allocated crime reports where no “proportionate” lines of enquiry existed. At the conclusion of the pilot, 68 per cent of officers noticed a positive difference to their workload, with 56 per cent of the view they had more time to investigate crime reports which had proportionate lines of enquiry.

But a report prepared by Ms Bond for next week’s SPA meeting indicated that while frontline officers had time freed up during the pilot, the opposite was true for those handling calls in the force’s C3 division. Nearly half (44 per cent) of constables in the division said since the pilot’s introduction, it took them longer to record a crime report. Just 11 per cent said the process had become quicker.

Within the same division, half of team leaders said their workload had increased. No sergeants or team leader reported a reduction in their workload. The document also notes that crime management units across the force have disparate working practices and staffing levels, “making it difficult to assess the impact a future rollout would have”.

Ms Bond said: “This is not about efficiency, it's about us delivering the best service to members of the public. All crime matters to Police Scotland. This is not a policy of non-investigation, it is about delivering the best and most appropriate service that we can. This isn't about saving money. This is not being driven by the financial context.”

She added: “Our evaluation recommends this process is rolled out across the rest of the service and we intend to do this on a phased basis with ongoing engagement and evaluation. Every crime report is [the] subject of individual assessment of threat, harm, risk, vulnerability and for proportionate lines of investigation and evidence, and that won't change.

“If there are no lines of enquiry that can be pursued, then we should be clear about that with the person who has contacted us. The public will be informed about the progress of their report more quickly, rather than waiting days for officers to make contact to inform them of the same outcome.”

Scottish Conservative shadow justice secretary Russell Findlay said: “The rollout of this dangerous scheme formalises the SNP's surrender to criminals as official policing policy. That is not what hard-working officers signed up for.

“Officer numbers are at their lowest since 2008 and most crimes are not even reported. Doing nothing in response to thousands of crimes betrays law-abiding Scots. This is a good day for criminals and can only result in even more crime on our streets.”

Last month, Martin Gallagher, a former superintendent with Police Scotland, said a national rollout would be a “disastrous decision” that raises fundamental questions about what purpose is served by the police. He also said the move meant the point at which individuals first come to the attention of the police will be the point at which they carry out more serious offences. “Far greater harm will have been inflicted, whereas if investigation of minor offences had been undertaken, the offender may have been apprehended before they become a serious criminal,” he said.

Justice secretary Angela Constance said: "Police Scotland have consistently stated that officers in the north east will continue to investigate all reported crimes, with every case fully assessed and given a proportionate response based on threat, harm and risk. Building and maintaining public confidence remains key to any change in approach.