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UK police forensics 'ignore' attempted burglaries at odd-numbered houses
The scheme was part of cost-cutting measures by the Leicestershire police force.
A UK POLICE force has been piloting a scheme where break-ins at houses with odd numbers are not fully investigated.
This has been carried out by Leicestershire Police in an attempt to save money.
The East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU), which provides services to a number of police forces in the region, implemented the scheme in a rethink of how forensic officers are deployed to potential crime scenes.
As part of the scheme being carried out by the Leicestershire Force, it was hoped to establish how effective it was to send forensic officers to potential crime scenes.
EMSOU’s forensic services looked back at 1,172 burglaries in the area where forensic officers had been deployed. It was found that only a few crime scenes had shown any forensic evidence, with only 33 suspects being identified as a result of the visits.
This was followed by the three-month pilot scheme, where only houses with even numbers were investigated, being carried out earlier this year.
Despite the reduction in forensic services, police officers still visited the crime scenes of each of the burglaries reported to them.
It was found that whether or not the forensics team attended a crime scene had little impact on victim satisfaction.
The Leicestershire Police stated the results will be closely examined before making a decision about future policy on forensic officers attending the scene of burglaries.
Speaking about the scheme, Jo Ashworth, Director of Forensic Sciences with EMSOU, said, “At a time when we are operating within reduced budgets, it is even more critical that we make the absolute best use of our crime scene investigators’ time.”
Read: ‘Serious stress and trauma’: Are cash-for-gold shops causing burglaries?
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