An Open Letter to Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe and Mr Tom Winsor

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You are both well aware of the total furore that has erupted in past months about the alleged ‘fiddling’ of crime figures.

I am aware Mr Winsor that your HMIC recently published an interim report on the matter and I am in the process of digesting it.  To help you with the rest of your report, and to better inform Sir Bernard on how it’s done I thought I’d put together a little montage of genuine ways in which crimes have been ‘distorted’ or ‘misrepresented’ over a large number of years.

It will also help the public to better understand what all the fuss has been about but because the majority of it has been about Rape allegations, but it exists in so many other areas as well.

In no particular order

Criminal Damage (Value under £20) for many years that would have been No Crime’d  by Force Policy since the early 70s, but a crime had still been committed (allegedly).

House/Shop/Car window smashed – No Crime, window broken by stone thrown up from passing lorry/bus/car wheel.

Attempted Burglary classified as Criminal Damage.  Arguments will rage forever over this one, but we all know it happened.

Post Sentence Visits to convicted felons in prison to ‘Clear Up’ some outstanding crimes. A dubious practice designed solely to influence the Clear Up Rate, I doubt that any outstanding stolen property was ever recovered and restored to the victim.

Bringing prisoners out of prison to the police station cells and driving them round so that they could point out the houses they had burgled.  See my previous comments above.

A local prolific burglar for example dies, suddenly he seems to have been credited with a large proportion of the unsolved crimes, shown as Cleared Up. Dubious to say the least.

Theft Person being classified as No Crime, property lost in the street.  The nature of ‘Dipping’ is that the victim is frequently unaware of the offence at the time of commission, that is no reason to record it as Property Lost, if there is some credible evidence that it has been stolen then the appropriate classification should be used. However, there are tales such as this “Known Dipping.. CID sent out a memo. We Had to ask the question. If it ‘could’ have have fallen out, the bag was open. report it as Loss in the street!  Even though it was at the bottom of a bag”

Now this one’s rapidly becoming a favourite of mine.  Theft of a large bird from garden premises, classified as No Crime – bird flew away. It was made of concrete.

Fraud was never properly investigated for years because it was no-one’s priority crime.

I have heard recently of one Attempted Burglary being classified as No Crime because “a trapped, enraged bumblebee caused the damage to the window?”

Assaults with counter allegations were frequently classified as No Crime instead of two or more assaults, even one would have been better.

Assaults where the victim refused to substantiate the allegation even where there was corroborating evidence in the form of CCTV footage. Shouldn’t be No Crime’d. It;’s still a crime, it’s just the victim doesn’t want to go to Court.

Burglaries in bedsits, hotels or offices with multiple victims that all went down as one burglary.

Offences of Criminal Damage by Graffiti were frequently classified No Crime if they could be cleaned off.

A whole road of cars damaged – one Criminal Damage with 24 victims. 24 Crimes same venue?

“Another favourite was number plates stolen…..no they fell off. Both front and back. No crime”

“Kited cheques with obvious intent – No crime, victim referred to bank. And… obvious frauds using cloned cards etc – victim referred to bank.”

“A certain concert venue somewhere in South London where people were never dipped, they just danced so hard that their phones fell out of their pockets/handbags and were lost. No crime”

“I tried reporting Crim Damage. Occupants in lounge, saw group walking past , making a noise and saw one throw a brick to someone on opposite footpath. Over threw and it smashed glass in door. I put it in as crim damage but got memo saying it was an attempt burglary. I tried to argue my corner but crime desk wouldn’t have it. Strange decision.”

“I retired 2 years ago having spent my last 4 years in the Met heading up the XXXX Crime Management Unit. All crime classification change requests came through my team. I have seen all manner of stupidity. The range is incredible. From a DS who became an internet expert on the thermo-dynamics of sealed double glazing units and how a sudden drop in overnight temperature can cause them to shatter! He wanted an attempted burglary no crimed. Unfortunately, the dets already explained how the victim actually disturbed the suspect walking down the shingle path below the window, and found the brick used to smash the window too…..! The other extreme being the self appointed “hate crime champion” for one borough who liked to remove Racial flags (on undetected crimes of course..) on the basis the Mr Ahmed (sic) must have been mistaken in his belief that the only reason he felt he was the victim of race crime was because none of his white neighbours had dog shit continually posted through his front door. Sadly, I have too many stories like these, as well as more about those who were too spineless to respond to official reports of such corrupt practices. Believe me PC Patrick is very brave, but his story merely scratches the surface.”

“I remember a smash and grab at a pet shop where an expensive Macaw parrot was stolen there were no witnesses no CCTV. The D/S on the crime desk wrote it off as No Crime putting it down to the parrot making a successful escape from captivity after the shop front window was broken by, as mentioned earlier on this post a stone thrown up by a passing vehicle!”

Sir Bernard, PC Patrick has given the more analytical version and I have given you actual examples from current or former officers. May be you could explain to the public exactly why you didn’t invite PC Patrick to become part of the solution, and continued to oppress him, eventually instigating further disciplinary matters during his period of Notice?

Mr Winsor, your team have completed the first part of their study, maybe they would like to look for examples such as these when they do the next part.

Mind you Mr Winsor I’m disappointed that you didn’t mention on Radio 4 the other morning that you have already met with Constable Patrick.  Gives people the wrong impression.

Maybe, Sir Bernard, you or Mr Winsor would like to contribute to the James Patrick Fighting Fund, if you have a Paypal Account it’s easy;

From within your opening screen (after logging in to your account) choose Send Money

Send it to the following email address

justice4pcpatrickAToutlookDOTcom (see what I did there?) (substitute an “@” and a “.” as appropriate)

Enter the amount in GBP you wish to send

Click on “I’m sending money to family or friends” This option should be free of charges unless you pay by Credit Card and the money ends up in exactly the same account as if you had pressed the Donate Button.

A little more complicated and it only works for Paypal account holders but every fee that we can reduce is more for the Fighting Fund

For more info please see

http://www.wikihow.com/Send-Money-via-PayPal

I thank you

Please do it for James. #Justice4PCPatrick

THIS FUND IS NOW CLOSED

Thank You

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7 thoughts on “An Open Letter to Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe and Mr Tom Winsor”

  1. The bird anecdote actually happened in the early 80’s in Northwood MPD. The victim apparently found it funny enough to pass off as an amusing story to the Commissioner of the day and the poor DS got in hot water!!!!!

  2. The bird anecdote actually happened in the early 80’s in Northwood MPD. The victim apparently found it funny enough to pass off as an amusing story to the Commissioner of the day and the poor DS got in hot water!!!!!

  3. A break in to several flats with a shared entrance is one burglary until someone is caught and then becomes several burglaries

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