At times, under the force’s new operating model, the Island is covered by as few as four officers on a shift. The total number of officers has been cut from 245 to fewer than 190 over ten years, despite the population increasing by 10,000, and budgets cut by over 5% – £1.3million – in the past three years.
Now, retired Inspector Andy Bisson, who left the force last week after 31 years’ service, has warned that fewer police could lead to increased crime, and he stressed that officers themselves needed to feel safe.
Late last year, it emerged that police morale had reached ‘rock bottom’, after a report showed that 64% of officers would not recommend joining the organisation. Mr Bisson said a move to officers patrolling on their own rather in pairs was a factor.
‘Officers want to know that when they are out on the streets their colleagues are there to support them. I don’t mean pat-on-the-back support, I mean when it all comes down to it and they push that emergency button for support, they know people are going to come running,’ he said.
A surge in knife crime in the UK has been blamed on police cuts and fewer frontline officers. The UK has seen a 93% rise in hospital admissions for knife attacks on under-16s since 2012. Prime Minister Theresa May says there is no link between cuts in police numbers and the rise in crime but the head of the London Met, Cressida Dick, said she disagreed.
Dave Thompson, the chief constable of the West Midlands force, says budgets across forces in the UK have been cut by between 11 and 25%.
Speaking to the JEP, Mr Bisson said knife crime was not likely to be a concern for Jersey but stressed that the principle of cutting officers and seeing a rise in crime was the same.
‘The biggest challenge going forward for the States police is financially. We have had a massive cut in police officers over the years and while we can go smart and use mobile devices, you still need personal contact with people, and officers still need time to do that. There is a fine line between saving money and seriously affecting policing,’ he said.
‘If you look at the UK, there is evidence there that they cut policing massively and now they are struggling to contain some serious issues. When you cut police numbers, it opens up the opportunity for crime to be rife.’
Between 2011 and 2016, crime rates fell by 23% in Jersey. However, the number of welfare incidents – missing people and dealing with people with mental-health issues – has increased.
St Helier Constable Simon Crowcroft has also called for more officers on the streets to ensure ‘Islanders feel safe’.
Mr Bisson added: ‘My worry is that if Jersey is not careful, not through the force’s fault but through the cut of budgets, it will start to open those doors to more crime and it is much harder to mend it when it’s broken.
‘We have seen in a period when crime is down but we need to understand why crime is down. If you have not got visibility, you have not got public reassurance and without that you have not got public respect. It’s a slippery slope and to stop it from sliding is very difficult.
‘If I had a message for government it would be that they have already over-cut. They need to understand exactly what policing is in Jersey. We pick up stuff that should be jobs of other services, mental-health or social services, because we are always the last safety net. We never say no and we should never say no. If we are going to continue to be that last safety net, then we need the resources.’
