Police Reports

• 7 February 2019
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Hardly a day passes when the public are not treated to statements by individuals that they have lodged “police reports” A good deal of fringe politics appear to be conducted on this basis.

But what are the facts? Certainly the Police are obliged to listen to any members of the public who say that he or she wants to lodge a report. BUT. That is as far as it goes. The police are there to deal with offences and public safety; not to act as unpaid assistants to self publicists. Certainly they will listen to complaints and IF some breach of the law or threat public order and safety is disclosed they will record  the complaint and take appropriate action on it.

They are not, however, unpaid helpers of cranks with political grievances, real or imagined and if a report seems to disclose no offence or threat to public safety and order the complainant should be politely told to take the grievance elsewhere. Apart from anything else the endless recording of political nonsense reports is a gross waste of police time and something that prevents them from doing their real job. So it ought to stop and the IGP should clarify to his subordinates how to treat such nonsense reports in future.