This is a Neighbourhood Watch Area sign scheme on a streetlamp - lack of police means homeowners need to look after their own UK property security

Police chiefs blame Tory cuts for fall in crime detection and charge rates This article is more than 6 months old Senior officers rebuff claims police focusing on ‘woke’ causes and highlight ‘disconnected approach over the last 12 years’ Cuts under Conservative-led governments have had a negative effect upon policing, the organisation representing senior officers has said, in a rebuff to claims that forces are focusing on “woke” causes. The National Police Chiefs Council said in a statement that crime detection and charge rates had dropped following austerity measures and a fall in police numbers since 2010. It comes after a report by the right-leaning thinktank Policy Exchange, which said on Tuesday that public confidence could be damaged if police showed solidarity against discrimination or expressed political views. A National Police Chiefs Council spokesperson said: “Detection and charge rates for a range of crimes have fallen over the past five years. “This has been impacted by austerity and the loss of thousands of police officers and staff, increasing complexity of policing and crime, growing demand related to mental ill health and impact of backlogs in the court system.” The NPCC’s statement followed Monday’s release of the Policy Exchange paper entitled Crime & Policing: What Do We want from the Next Prime Minister?” Written by the former Met detective chief inspector David Spencer, the 31-page report questioned whether officers should take part in acts that may be seen as political, such as taking the knee during protests. “Even the perception that an officer’s decision-making, such as whether to arrest someone, might be influenced by a partisan political view has the potential to be hugely damaging to public confidence