The police force must go back to basics to earn our trust

Editorial: A new report shows that public confidence in the police ‘hangs by a thread’. Some might say that is far too generous

Confidence in the police needs to be rebuilt from the ground up (PA)

For decades now there has been talk of the need for a thorough reconstruction of policing in England and Wales. There has been some action, but often in fitful bursts, and it seems that many problems of deep cultural attitudes among significant numbers of police officers remain hardly touched.

“There are only so many times we can say the same thing in different words,” says Andy Cooke, HM chief inspector of constabulary, in his latest annual report. He says that changes demanded by the inspectorate seven years ago are only now starting to happen in the wake of the horrific cases of Metropolitan Police predators Wayne Couzens and David Carrick.

Mr Cooke says that public confidence in the police “hangs by a thread”. That is too generous. For many people, women especially, that thread snapped when they realised how vulnerable they were to crimes perpetrated by serving officers.