Uncontactable police - a disgrace

8.59.26pm UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 22nd Mar 2007

This survey is a warning light to the police

HALF OF POLICE STATIONS IN LONDON ARE UNCONTACTABLE - LIB DEMS

22 March 2007

Research carried out by Dee Doocey, Liberal Democrat Policing spokesperson on the London Assembly, shows that 46% (65 out of 141) of police stations in London do not answer the phone for non-emergency enquiries.

The research follows a similar survey carried out in 2003, where results showed that 39% (52 out of 132) of police stations were uncontactable. The survey also showed an improvement in response times amongst police stations which were contactable, from 1 min 30 seconds in 2003 to 20 seconds in 2007.

Commenting on the findings, Dee Doocey, said:

"Four years on from our last survey, these results show the Met to be more distant and uncontactable. Londoners face silence at the end of the line for just under half the capital's police stations, a disgrace by any standards.

'If the private sector don't answer the phone, they lose money. If the police don't answer the phone, they risk losing intelligence. Sir Ian Blair repeatedly tells Londoners that defeating terrorism is all about good community intelligence. But if staff in police stations are not answering calls, this creates serious obstacles to reporting crime.

'Last year's damming Audit Commission report suggested a link between poor police station response rate and unreported crime. It is imperative that intelligence surrounding the recent stabbings in Hammersmith and Plaistow - whose police stations' response times are amongst the worst in the capital- is not lost because of unmanned telephones."

A spokesperson for Tower Hamlets Liberal Democrats commented "It is yet further prove that Labour despite tough talk on crime will not spend money where it is really needed. Police and communties need to be able to communicate better to enable crime prevention and to improve conviction rates when crime happens."