White and English in Britain? Not interested says police

In London crime victims could be denied a personal visit from law enforcement unless they are migrants, not integrated into British society and with little grasp of the English language. It could help the force cope with major spending cuts over the coming years, officials said.

Only those callers deemed “vulnerable” by Scotland Yard will be considered, one most senior officers has warned. Deputy commissioner Craig Mackey said those to be prioritised in future included people with learning difficulties, as well as people who did not speak English as their first language.

Mackey said the change was “absolutely feasible” despite risks officers might encounter with “face to face service”. While burglary victims would “probably always get a service”, calls involving “vehicle crime, those sorts of things” will be ignored unless the person affected was socially “vulnerable”.

Mackey told the Standard the Metropolitan Police wanted to prevent the number of officers falling below 30 000 in the face of a projected £400 million in spending cuts over the next five years. The deputy commissioner said that it was inevitable that the force would shrink, despite rising crime, a growing population and a heightened terror threat. “We’ll assess people’s vulnerability,” Mackey explained.

“Vulnerability can manifest itself in a number of ways: people with learning difficulties, a whole range of things, some people for whom English isn’t a first language. That’s about how we get those resources focused on the things you can make a difference with. But also as we go forward, as demand grows, you have to have a way of controlling and triaging.”

Meanwhile knife crime is out of control in London, with blade offences rising by 24 percent compared to the previous 12 months. That means 2 327 more knife related incidents, bringing the grand total to 12 021.

Officers had seized a record 300 knives in seven days of action against knife crime in May. Police believe more “youths”, mainly Muslim and African, are now carrying knives for differing reasons, including status, criminality and increasingly for self-protection.

Statistics show there was 73 per cent drop in the number of stops and searches carried out in the Metropolitan Police over the last five years, down from 512 278 in 2011/12 to 134 991 in 2016/17. The fall in the rate of Section 60 searches has been even more dramatic. If a senior officer believes people may be carrying weapons or causing serious violence in a particular area, temporary powers may be authorised under section 60 (S60) of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.

“For a lot of young men respect means being feared. If you are disrespected on the street, you cannot walk away from it, like we might do, you have to retaliate. This is the code of the street. If you receive violence you must give violence in return,” Detective Chief Superintendent Michael Gallagher said.