Some people may have noticed the happy new guidance released between Christmas and New Year by the National Police Chief’s Council. This guidance to police in England and Wales was that police officers ought to try to go to properties that have been burgled. Even better, they should try to do so within an hour of the burglary being reported.
This seems to me to be an eminently sensible piece of advice. After all, if you get to the scene of a robbery within an hour, you might be able to track down the stolen goods, log evidence while the crime scene is fresh, or even – imagine – find a burglar.
You might wonder why this guidance needed to be given in the first case. After all, there are more than 1,000 break-ins every day in this country. In England and Wales three-quarters of home break-ins lead to no suspect being identified.
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