Residents not reporting crime as they have no faith anything will be done

Apathy about crime reporting meant many people were taking to Facebook to post about crime, rather than contacting police.

Claims that people were not reporting crimes were made at two different Council meetings this week.

At these meetings, representatives from West Yorkshire Police said apathy about crime reporting was one of the biggest issues they faced.

Officers have appeared before Bradford Council’s Bradford East and Bradford South area committees in the last week.

They were giving updates on issues from anti-social behaviour to drug use in these two constituencies.

Drug taking has 'become the norm' for many in Bradford - Councillor claims

During both meetings, Councillors raised issues that were blighting their communities, including late night fireworks and anti-social quad bike use.

Members of both committees pointed out the lack of faith in police among many of their constituents.

This even extended to major retailers that regularly experienced shoplifting – with one committee told that police were only told about incidents at a local Coop when they visited the store to ask if they had been the victims of any crimes lately.

The lack of reporting meant police were not able to get a full picture of the issues in the areas.

At the Bradford East Area Committee on Wednesday, Councillor Aislin Naylor (Lib Dem, Idle and Thackley) said: “People are saying they are not reporting crime. They don’t see the point because police won’t do anything.

“Things happen in the centre of Idle in shops, how can you reassure them that crime is being taken very seriously?

“A lot of people don’t understand that if they report a crime it goes towards crime figures.

“We have to make people understand that by reporting these things police can better see where the issues are.”

Inspector Paul Riley of the Bradford East Neighbourhood Policing Team replied: “There is an apathy towards crime reporting – it is one of the biggest issues we face.

“There is a particular issue with big shops.

“PCSOs are visiting these shops to ask if incidents have occurred because crimes don’t always get reported.

“There was an incident in the Co-Op recently that they hadn’t reported. Someone stole a lot of cigarettes from behind a till.

“Once we eventually found out about it we were able to identify the person and achieved a successful prosecution.”

And at a meeting of Bradford South Area Committee on Thursday, Chair Councillor David Green (Lab, Wibsey) said he felt there was an under-reporting of crime.

After hearing about crime levels in the area, he questioned what extent figures were being under-reported.

He said: “People will go on Facebook and say ‘someone’s just done my car windows’ or ‘someone’s just broken into my shed and nicked my garden shears.’

“They go on Facebook to complain about these issues, but don’t report it to police.

“My argument is you should always report it to police.

“You might not get three squad cars sent out to you or a visit from a Chief Inspector, but it will help police better see what is going on at a local level.”

Inspector Andy Thornton, of Bradford South Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “What you say about social media, it shows there is a lack of confidence in police.

“It appears people believe police aren’t going to do anything.

“We’re working really hard to change that, and to get the message out that it’s important to report crime to the police.”

Members were told that Holme Wood was one area where there had been a particular issue with people failing to report incidents due to a lack of faith any positive action would be taken.

Assistant area coordinator Michael Churley added: “One of our key actions for the Holme Wood area is to communicate better with residents to try to build that confidence in police.”

Councillor Matt Edwards (Green, Tong), represents Holme Wood, and praised police for stepping up work in the estate.

He added: “The team has done amazing work over the last six months. It all works towards building trust with residents.

“We’re now seeing the community bringing in more intel about crime in the area.”