The primary role of the police is to prevent crime, not catch criminals, the chief inspector of constabulary for England and Wales has said.
Tom Winsor said focusing on would-be offenders, likely victims and potential crime hotspots would save taxpayers' money and keep more people safe.
But police would still "come to calls for help", he told the BBC.
The Home Office said force priorities were a matter for chief constables and elected police and crime commissioners.
Mr Winsor will expand his ideas in a speech to security think tank the Royal United Services Institute on Monday.
It comes as another think thank, Policy Exchange, recommended introducing a modern version of the "Tardis" police box - made famous by Dr Who - to allow people to report crimes.
'Prolific and persistent'Mr Winsor told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the "primary purpose" of the police was to prevent crimes happening in the first place.
"All the costs of the criminal justice system - and they are considerable - are incurred downstream of an offence being committed," he said.
"Start Quote
End Quote Tom Winsor Chief Inspector of ConstabularyThe biggest bang for the public's buck is on crime prevention"
"Prevention is far better than cure. If we can prevent offences taking place and we prevent there being any victims, which is absolutely critical... we save all of those costs."
He said there should be greater use of technology and intelligence to "concentrate resources on crime hotspots".
Resources should be used "to know where repeat and vulnerable victims of crime are" and "know where the offenders are - those who are wearing tags and those who are just known to be the most prolific and persistent and dangerous offenders in the community - and take them off the streets".
Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.
Tom Winsor: "The primary purpose of the police is the prevention of crime"
Police budgets are being cut by the government, but Mr Winsor said forces had "to do more with fewer resources".
"Therefore, the biggest bang for the public's buck is on crime prevention," he said but added: "When crimes have been committed they will respond."
A lawyer and former rail regulator - with no experience of serving in the police - Mr Winsor's appointment as chief inspector last year was a controversial choice.
In March 2012, he published a report for the government which contained wide-ranging changes to police pay and conditions.
Recommendations included fast-tracking recruits to inspector level within three years and cutting the starting salary for police constables in England and Wales to £19,000 - a reduction of £4,000.
'Cops in shops'Meanwhile, Policy Exchange's Rebooting the PC Report recommends the introduction of modern versions of police boxes where people can "report crime, provide witness statements, discuss concerns and access information".
"Start Quote
End Quote Stuart Donald Acpo's Assistant Chief ConstableWe need to think differently to equip policing for the years ahead, identifying and sharing what helps"
"These would be technologically-enabled police contact points featuring two-way audio-visual technology so that members of the public could communicate directly with police staff," the report said.
The report also says that, faced with budget cuts, police chiefs must avoid putting "buildings before bobbies" and should replace police stations with "cops in shops".
A Home Office spokesman said decisions about the most effective use of resources "including the number, location and operating hours of police stations" were a matter for chief constables and police and crime commissioners.
The Police Federation of England and Wales, which represents rank and file officers, said a fall in the use of front counters had been "happening around the country for many years".
But its vice-chairman, Steve White, said police stations were "accessible to the public, all day and night, something which is not provided by local shops and businesses".
The Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) said that "in an age of austerity, relentlessly challenging established practice to improve local policing is more important than ever".
"We need to think differently to equip policing for the years ahead, identifying and sharing what helps - be it 'cop shops', public contact booths or special constables and volunteers complementing the way we patrol communities," Acpo's Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Donald said.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Police urged to focus on prevention
Dengan url
http://gayabugarsehat.blogspot.com/2013/04/police-urged-to-focus-on-prevention.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Police urged to focus on prevention
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Police urged to focus on prevention
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar