The Evening Standard newspaper has made accusations directed towards Scotland Yard that the police are ‘massaging’ their crime figures.
Scotland Yard has denied such accusations and insist that crime rates in London have indeed fallen.
Together with this accusation, the newspaper has also published details that local police stations are deliberately making it more difficult for people to report crimes.
An example is that people hoping to report mobile phone theft are told that unless they have the phone’s IMEI number there is nothing the police can do, which therefore discourages people from reporting such crimes.
Tory and Liberal Democrat mayoral candidates have jumped on this alleged revelation.
On BBC Brian Paddick, the Liberal Democrat mayoral candidate and a former senior Met Officer said: “This report is clear evidence of what I have been saying all along – that police-recorded crime statistics don’t reflect the true picture.”
It is thought that if there has been pressure placed upon Scotland Yard to make sure crime statistics have fallen it is coming from central government.
While Tory candidate Boris Johnson said on BBC: “It is unacceptable that our honest officers are made to effectively shove reported crime under the carpet. When I am mayor I will end this fiddling of the crime statistics.”
However, Deputy Commissioner Paul Stephenson that the suggestion the Met fixes crime statistics is very ‘misleading’ and potentially damaging.
Media Mentor would suggest that rather than Stephenson going on the defensive, which of course he is perfectly entitled to do; he addresses the accusations and says there will be a full investigation and the findings will most certainly be released to the media and the public.
This will ensure the media are less likely to hound Scotland Yard for information. Keeping the media informed can avoid messy questioning and chases from journalists.
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