Report suggests training public to 'have a go'

A chain of Citizen Police Academies should be set up to train the public on how to play their part in fighting crime - including making 'citizens arrests' - a recent report proposes.

As apart of the Policy Exchange report, Policing 2020, a survey found that a majority of Britons (67 per cent) would walk on by if they saw a group of teenagers drinking and abusing passers-by, compared with 27 per cent who would step in and intervene.

A YouGov poll for the report also found that more than a third (36 per cent) of adults would be interested in attending a free evening class at a Citizen Police Academy, where police officers and volunteers would teach them about issues like how to perform a citizen's arrest and how to avoid danger when walking home alone.

The report also calls for the creation of Crime Prevention Officers to replace existing neighbourhood police officers.  They would be responsible for crime prevention in their areas and held to account in monthly meetings with local commanders.

The report's author, Edward Boyd, said: "The police will always play the central role in the fight against crime, yet the public still has a part to play.

For more on this story from The Evening Standard, click here

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