A profound crisis of confidence is gripping Britain's police forces, as a major annual survey reveals public faith has crumbled to a startling new low. For the first time, just over half of the public (52%) believe officers in their area are doing a 'good' or 'excellent' job—a dramatic 13-percentage-point drop from the 65% recorded just three years ago.
A Stark Decline in Public Confidence
The findings from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) paint a bleak picture of a broken relationship between the police and the communities they serve. The proportion of people expressing high confidence in their local force has nosedived, falling from 74% to a mere 57% since the year ending March 2020.
This erosion of trust is not uniform across the nation. The survey uncovers a stark 'postcode lottery' of policing confidence, with residents in some regions far more disillusioned than others.
The Met Police: Ground Zero for the Crisis
Nowhere is this collapse in trust more acute than in London. The capital's residents report the lowest levels of confidence in the entire country, with a shocking 44% stating they have low or very low trust in their local police. This crisis of legitimacy for the Metropolitan Police follows a relentless barrage of scandals.
The force has been rocked by a series of devastating revelations, including the conviction of serial rapist and murderer Wayne Couzens, the exposure of David Carrick's horrific crimes as a serving officer, and a recent review that found the Met to be institutionally racist, misogynistic, and homophobic.
Falling Charge Rates: The Performance Crisis
Beyond the scandals, the survey highlights a parallel crisis in basic police performance. The public's perception of police effectiveness is in freefall, directly correlating with abysmal charge rates for key crimes.
- Burglary: A mere 6% of reported cases resulted in a charge.
- Robbery: Only 7% of cases saw a suspect charged.
- Theft: A paltry 4% charge rate, down from 6% the previous year.
These figures reveal a system that is fundamentally failing to deliver justice for victims, further fuelling public disillusionment.
A Glimmer of Hope? The National Picture
Despite the overwhelming negativity, the survey did unearth a few small pockets of resilience. Public confidence remains highest in Wales and the South West of England. Furthermore, a majority of people (57%) still believe their local police are at least somewhat effective at tackling anti-social behaviour.
However, these faint glimmers do little to offset the overarching narrative of a service in peril. The collapse of public trust, particularly in the wake of horrific scandals and plummeting performance metrics, presents an existential challenge for UK policing. Restoring faith will require more than just promises; it demands demonstrable, systemic reform and a clear path to accountability.
