Police in the English county of Leicestershire have been investigating burglaries only at even-numbered homes. The scheme is said to have reduced workload with no effect on convictions, or public satisfaction. Five more counties are eyeing a similar cost-saving measure. (Source: The Daily Telegraph).
I suspect that that the burglary clear-up rate is small enough that one could choose to investigate one, a few burglaries or none, and it would make little difference to clear-up statistics. Secondly, I suspect that the public is resigned to the burglary rate, and its expectations of having the robbers apprehended approaches zero. So, naturally, the change affects neither the rate of conviction or of public satisfaction.
But the new policy does present an interesting dilemma for would-be burglars: if you suspect the local force has this policy in effect, is it better to stick to odd or even-numbered homes, or spread your risk by alternating between the two?
A footnote: the job of the police is not to prevent or solve crime; it is for a male officer to sit behind the wheel of a car all day, chatting to a young, female colleague. Now, how is that for an Epicurean life?
( Just a joke. Don’t take me seriously. I deeply admire the selfless community work done by the police everywhere)
This is absolutely disgraceful behavior. The police ought to be investigating every crime. In New York, where they started taking every crime seriously- including minor crimes like graffiti and litter- crime dramatically decreased. I, like all Epicureans, believe in a peaceful society. But peace requires the police to keep it against criminals. This is just a stupid cost-saving measure. The government is wrong to cut spending on the police and criminal justice system. And the Black Lives Matter movement are wrong in demanding the same for the US.