Police pledge to pursue all ‘reasonable lines of inquiry’ to solve more crimes

The ‘back-to-basics’ approach will mean police forces are expected to take advantage of footage made available by CCTV, vehicle dashcams, phones and smart doorbells to help identify suspects and place them at the scene of the crime.

While the pledge applies to all crimes, Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she expects police and crime commissioners (PCCs) to hold forces to account for a drastic change in the way police approach crimes such as phone theft, car theft, shoplifting and criminal damage to bring more offenders to justice and restore public confidence in local policing.

This will mean that if there is tangible evidence, such as details of a website where a victim’s stolen goods appear, the police should request information to help identify the suspect.

Alternatively, if a stolen mobile phone can be tracked with an app and there is a reasonable chance the police could recover it, then action should be taken.

Minister for Crime and Policing Chris Philp stressed there is no such thing as a “minor crime” and all merit proper investigation where there are leads to follow.

Ms Braverman said: “The police have made progress in preventing crime across the country with neighbourhood offences like burglary, robbery and vehicle theft down by 51 per cent since 2010.

“Despite this success, since I became Home Secretary I’ve heard too many accounts from victims where police simply haven’t acted on helpful leads because crimes such as phone and car thefts are seen as less important – that’s unacceptable. It has damaged people’s confidence in policing.

“Criminals must have no place to hide. The police’s commitment today is a huge step forward towards delivering the victim-focused, common-sense policing the public deserve.”

The commitment unveiled on Monday (August 29) has been agreed by the Home Office in tandem with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and College of Policing, and is formally defined as an agreement to pursue all “reasonable lines of inquiry” in relation to all crime types.

It builds on the previous commitment from all police forces to attend the scene of all home burglaries, to ensure better evidence gathering and make victims feel safer, which is now being actioned across the country.

To support police forces to deliver on the commitment, the College of Policing has drafted new guidelines and has already updated the policing manual on best practice for investigating crime to support effective decision-making by officers.

The Home Secretary has also asked for plans from PCCs and chief constables on how they intend to improve visibility in communities to make streets safer and improve confidence in local policing.

Chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, Donna Jones, said: “I welcome the clarity from the Home Secretary and Policing Minister and their clear expectations for police to pursue all crimes where there is evidence available. The relentless pursuit of criminals is something PCCs are wholly committed to, prioritising this in their local Police and Crime Plans and through making funds available to forces to bolster capabilities.

“As the voice of the public, PCCs are committed to making communities a safer place whilst ensuring that public confidence in their local police force increases. The public rightly expect crimes to be investigated especially where there is evidence available.

“The commitment from police forces to follow evidential lines of inquiry, particularly in relation to acquisitive crime, is a vital step in building on the public’s trust and confidence in policing and ensuring a zero-tolerance approach to those criminals who blight our communities.”

Minister for Crime and Policing Chris Philp said: “There is no such thing as a minor crime. All crimes, where there is a reasonable lead to follow up should be investigated. This will keep the public safe, catch more criminals and avoid disorder escalating. Crimes such as shoplifting, phone theft, car theft and burglary profoundly affect business and the public, and all merit proper investigation where there are leads to follow.

“There are now record numbers of police officers and record funding that has gone into policing, including for more patrols in hotspot areas of crime, and to make neighbourhoods more secure with better street lighting and CCTV. Along with camera images, combined with facial recognition, this will mean many more offenders can be brought to justice.

“I welcome this recognition and agreement from the policing sector that more can – and will – be done to solve crime. I believe it will improve performance and transform the public’s perception of their local force – as we have seen in Greater Manchester already.”

Mr Philp said Greater Manchester Police  has made “significant changes” to the service it provides to the public, including an impressive 44 per cent year on year increase in the number of charges recorded by the force.

Chief Constable Stephen Watson said: “The provision of additional officers; improved leadership; and an efficient but sustainable plan which focuses on the very basics of the job, has equipped Greater Manchester Police to significantly improve the policing services delivered to the communities within Greater Manchester and, crucially, victims of crime.”

Additionally, an increased focus on vehicle crime by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) in the first three months of 2023 led to 59 arrests and the recovery of 100 stolen vehicles, and MPS data suggests an eight per cent reduction in vehicle theft in the same period.

The College of Policing says its new guidance sets the standards of investigation that officers must meet and is likely to lead to, on occasions, a more thorough investigation but, as the public would expect, officers will still have to consider the proportionality as forces seek to meet the needs of their communities.

Chief executive officer Chief Constable Andy Marsh said it was “critically important” the public know police will consider all reasonable lines of inquiry. He added there is already work underway to improve investigations and this new guidance will bring greater consistency to the service the public receives.

The College of Policing is also developing specific good practice guidance on conducting residential burglary investigations. Setting the standard in respect of the initial response and the subsequent investigation, it emphasises the importance of attending the scene as early as possible to maximise evidence for the investigation, and this concept should be carried through to all crime types.

The colege said: “The public expect to get a timely response from the police which is why the Home Secretary and Policing Minister have today written to chiefs and PCCs setting out their expectation for all emergency 999 calls to the police to be answered in less than ten seconds and for all non-emergency contact, whether 101 or online, to be responded to as quickly as possible.

“Operational decisions will always be a matter for individual police chiefs and their force, and it is right that each incident is looked at on a case-by-case basis, on the evidence available and in proportion to the crime.”

Mr Marsh, said: “It is critically important the public know that when a crime has happened the police will consider all reasonable lines of inquiry and, where appropriate, arrest the person responsible.

“Police officers want to give the best possible service to everyone but they are trying to do this in a time pressured and increasingly complex environment. Today’s guidance will support them to make effective decisions on what is a reasonable line of inquiry as they investigate crimes.

“It means all forces are working to the same standard as we come down hard on criminals and deliver what the public want from their police service.

“We know the public would not want us to spend significant amounts of time on an investigation where there is no a reasonable chance of identifying a suspect or making an arrest so our focus will be on where there is information we can act on.

“The service will have to be pragmatic which means vast public resources cannot be dedicated to every crime. Officers will consider whether they can realistically identify the person responsible or if their time should be spent on preventing other crimes from happening.

“Our aim is to deliver the best possible service to the public to keep them safe and protect them from criminals.”

NPCC lead for investigations, Chief Constable Scott Chilton, said: “Police have a duty to pursue all reasonable lines of inquiry in every investigation. Every force conducts thousands of successful investigations every year, ensuring that offenders are prosecuted, and victims get the justice they deserve.

“We welcome the introduction of this new guidance, which will improve standards and deliver even more consistency across forces. This will ensure that the great work that officers do is able to further develop, modernise, and respond to the complexities of modern-day crime.

“It is for individual chief constables to manage demand within their force and prioritise their resources, drawing on the support of national standards and guidance. This new guidance will help chief constables to recognise how we can be better enabled to investigate crime.

“Along with the new guidance, we are delivering new and improved training, and ensuring that forces are alerted to examples of best practice from across the country. We are also working with HMICFRS to ensure that we are aligning with their standards.

“Crime has changed and got more complex in recent years, but we have also seen big changes in technology, such as video doorbells and dashcams, that can greatly assist an investigation.

“It is important to remember that each and every case is different and has different complexities, however, officers will use these new technologies when appropriate to gather evidence to build a case for prosecution. There are opportunities to identify offenders that we never had before, and that is something to be very positive about.”

The latest developments come as the Government confirms that more than 50,000 drug tests for cocaine and opiates have been conducted on suspects arrested in the past year, with over half of these coming back positive.

“This testing is crucial for preventing further crime, as offenders are diverted towards life-changing intervention and treatment services,” said the Home Office.

“We are also expanding the powers for police to test for specified Class B drugs, such as cannabis and ketamine when parliamentary time allows.

The Home Secretary is also encouraging officers to make “full, legitimate use” of their stop and search powers to get drugs off the streets.

National chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, Steve Hartshorn, said: “Undoubtedly each and every police officer in the country wants to provide an excellent service to the members of the community they strive to keep safe.

“Unfortunately, headline-grabbing announcements by the Government will not help officers provide that service. It can only be done if the Government provides adequate resources to officers and makes sustained investment in the police service.

“I don’t think it’s rocket science to understand the current situation of officers in England and Wales. On one hand there’s population growth and increasing attrition rates, and on the other hand there’s below inflation pay rises against a cost-of-living crisis, haphazard funding and increasing workload. Our officers are stretched beyond human limits, and I am not sure how much additional pressure our already struggling forces will be able to withstand.

“It is, therefore, important we put it back on the Government and ask what provisions has it made to help officers provide the world-class service the public truly deserves. Is the Government really willing to invest in the police service to ensure officers are adequately equipped to meet these demands?”