'˜Police abandoned me when I didn't know if burglars were in my home!' claims Luton resident

The Stopsley resident arrived home at c.7.15pm on December 21, to find that the glass in his back patio door had been smashed and his property had been burgled, with mess everywhere and three sets of cufflinks and a gold earring gone.

Worried that the offender/s could still be hiding in his house, he called the police, but claims he was told they would not be attending until two days later as a matter of “policy”.

The man claimed: “I was asked to leave the house as it was - for evidence - but there was mess everywhere!

“When I called again later that evening, the incident had not been recorded as a crime yet! Figure manipulation?

“I also wasn’t told a scenes of crime officer would visit on Dec 22 - thinking it was a neighbour knocking; I stayed in bed, feeling very unwell.

“This policy to not attend is unflexible. Who makes the decision? I also made an online complaint to the police but was told that in their call log I said that the burglars had left the premises, which is why police did not attend immediately. That’s wrong; I did say they might be still there!”

A Bedfordshire Police spokeswoman, said: “We prioritise our resources based on risk to life, whether the crime is still in progress, and the type of offence it is. Each call we receive is assessed on THRIVE – Threat, Harm, Risk, Investigative opportunity, Vulnerability and Engagement.

“In this case the crime had already taken place. The caller informed us that there were no offenders at the address and an appointment was made for an officer to visit.

“After the call, a crime reference number was subsequently produced. A scenes of crime officer visited on Dec 22 - the earliest opportunity - and a PC on Dec 23. Contact police on 101 quoting C/56042/17.”