Warwickshire Police attends less than half of crimes

POLICE in Warwickshire are "committed to protecting the public" despite attending fewer crimes scenes than other forces.

That is according to the county's Police and Crime Commissioner, Ron Ball, who has reacted to a report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) into the use of police time.

Of the 25 forces nationally for which figures were available, Warwickshire Police was the only one to attend less than half of crimes in the year to November 2013.

Officers were sent to just a third of actual vehicle thefts and less than one in ten cases where items had been stolen from within a vehicle.

Mr Ball insisted all reported crimes were investigated whether or not an officer attended the scene, and victims were never left to carry out their own investigations.

He said: "Assessing the threat, risk and harm to a victim of crime is of paramount importance to us, and will always be done first. This is why a police officer will always be dispatched when the crime involves sexual offences, domestic abuse and anti-social behaviour.

“We are committed to protecting the public from criminal activity, and ensuring that they have every confidence that the police will take appropriate action should they become a victim of crime.

"Whilst there is evidence of good work undertaken by the force, I fully recognise that there are some areas that require further work, and as Police Commissioner I will take this forward."

DCC Lewis Benjamin said the force provided a level of response depending on the degree of threat and risk to vulnerable people.

He added: “Our main purpose at Warwickshire Police is to protect people from harm and we tailor our approaches to the needs of the communities we serve.

“When we ask our communities, our confidence and satisfaction rates are very high and in Warwickshire. Crime, and therefore the number of victims of crime, is reducing year on year."

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