Rosie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2016-01-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has issued to police forces on their emergency response to incidents reporting breaking and entering, burglary and vandalism to vehicles, and other criminal activity when the criminal act is reported as being in progress.

Mike Penning

We are clear that all crimes reported to the police should be taken seriously, but it is an operational decision for the police to decide how best to respond to an individual report of crime including where a criminal act may be in progress.

While we do expect the nature of the police response to take account of the relevant circumstances, including any vulnerabilities or aggravating factors such as where members of the public may be at risk of harm, the Home Office does not issue guidance to the police on such operational matters.

These are the responsibility of Chief Constables, in association with Police and Crime Commissioners, and guidance may be published by the independent College of Policing.