Chris Cully, the Managing Director of risk & security management company, Dilitas writes exclusively for Infologue.com. Chris writes: “To those who have served as police officers, the above statement will be as well-known to them as their Warrant Number. It seems to have existed since the formation of the police in 1829. It would not surprise me if the statement was first coined by Sir Richard Mayne, the first Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police some 12 months after the start of his tenure.
“The statement is generally used by police officers to show their general dismay and annoyance at the system working against their best effort to do “The Job”. However, events of the last few weeks now lead me to believe this statement has become a prophecy.
“Two weeks ago, Dilitas was asked to assist a Texan couple who had been in London for several weeks. We were instructed to chase a fraudster, who with his associates was using the Texan couple’s Black Amex card, some of their other credit cards and their identities, to commit fraud in the UK, France, America and Monaco.
“As a story in the telling, it is a potential, Oscar wining, Hollywood script. This case has a conservative value of some £50,000,000. As a criminal event, it is the largest fraud I have experienced in some 35 years of investigating crime.
“Prior to our arrival in this matter, the Texans had, in desperation, contacted the UK police, who dispatched a uniform officer to their hotel room in London. Details were duly taken and they were told the matter would be passed to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID). Finally, after many e-mails from the victims, who have had to return to Texas, the reporting PC sent an e-mail to them saying that the CID had reviewed this matter and had decided it was a civil matter. I have hung my head in shame.
“I recounted this matter to a colleague, who had also worn the Commissioners serge for many years. He recounted the details of a card fraud of which he was the victim. He explained that he presented the allegation to police, providing the details of who was responsible to Thames Valley police. He also provided a credit card refund slip from the shop in Slough, complete with the suspect’s fingerprints. He identified another location the card was used, as well as the address of the halls of residence at a college where the purchased items were to be delivered.
“Thames Valley police said it was a matter for the Met. A detective in the Met, who was finally spoken to by our colleague, batted it back saying it was a Thames Valley job. Finally the Met DC agreed to take the matter as a crime. That was four months ago and since then, nothing has happened.
“I then learned recently that Sussex police are now employing civilian interviewers, who have completed a four-week training course, to conduct interviews in criminal matters.
“These sorry tales drew me back to the BBC News UK report of the Greater Manchester police who apparently do not investigate 60% of crimes reported to it. See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-23967098
“Sir Peter Fahy, Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police is quoted as saying, GMP followed a strategy also ‘adopted’ by other forces and recorded crime had halved in 10 years. He stressed all reports were assessed to see if a “line of inquiry” existed. If this is true, the public of Greater Manchester should, in my opinion, be truly terrified as the crimes that are not getting investigated are probably of a serious nature and committed by recidivists.
“Data released in July showed that crimes recorded by police in England and Wales fell by 7% in the year to March 2013. This “fall in reported crime”, is a mantra continuously intoned by senior police officers and politicians and, in my opinion, is entirely incorrect. I believe the crime rate is steadily increasing but, due to the public’s apathy in reporting crime to police and the police continually failing to classify crime correctly and marking crimes frequently as civil matters, the figures for recorded crime are flawed beyond belief.
“The Job is truly Fu@*ed!
“Where will this end? I do not know, but I leave you with what I fervently hope is not a prophetic view of the very near future.”
Victim of crime dials 999
Operator: “Emergency. Which service do you require?”
Victim: “Police”.
2nd Operator: “Hello”
Victim: “Is that the Police?”
2nd Operator: “No. This is G4S. How can we help you?”
Victim: “Oh. Well my house has just been broken into and my Mother who is 74 has been seriously attacked. We need the police here, now as the suspects are still outside”.
2nd Operator: “Oh dear. Well. We are busy putting together a proposal for world domination, so somebody will probably be with you next week”.
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