Bedford is the best for Police response times

Official data obtained through Freedom of Information requests highlights significant delays in police response times to burglaries across various regions. In some areas, police forces are taking as long as 28 hours to attend such incidents, according to figures disclosed by the Liberal Democrats.

Amongst the most prolonged response times recorded, Northamptonshire tops the list with an average of 28 hours, followed by Durham at 25 hours and 46 minutes, and Devon and Cornwall at 22 hours and 11 minutes. Conversely, Bedfordshire emerges as the best-performing force, managing to reach burglary scenes within a mere 15 minutes.

Overall, statistics from 26 forces indicate an average response time of nine hours and eight minutes in the 2022-23 period, doubling the figure from 2020-21, which stood at four hours and 53 minutes.

These prolonged waits come despite a commitment made in October 2022 by all 43 police force chiefs to prioritise attending every domestic burglary incident, regardless of its location or the items stolen. However, recent revelations expose the failure of police to resolve a significant portion (48%) of burglary cases in nearly half of all neighborhoods in England and Wales over the past three years.

Deputy Chief Constable Alex Franklin-Smith, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for burglary, acknowledges the importance of the pledge to attend every residential burglary.

He emphasises that while not all burglary reports carry the same level of urgency, police control rooms must meticulously assess the threat, harm, and risk associated with each call to effectively prioritise their response efforts.