More social workers, fewer police?

Sir Peter Fahy, Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police has called for 'a new approach' in responding to vulnerable and missing teenagers. He emphasised the need to protect children, but questioned whether the police are best placed to do this, reports BBC News.

Speaking to BBC News at Ten, he raised the question of whether we need more social workers and fewer police officers. He said:

It’s not sustainable, not only in terms of money terms, but I don’t think it’s acceptable in terms of the risk. And if you’ve got police officers ultimately spending a lot of their time doing social work you get to the point of actually saying well perhaps we ought to employ more social workers, even if indeed that means fewer police officers. Because ultimately we are using the wrong professional to deal with this issue.

The Centre for Crime and Justice Studies' three year Justice Matters initiative is seeking ways to downsize criminal justice and establish radical alternatives. You can find out more here.