If you caught my last post about PIP levels you may well be wondering what crimes are classed as volume and priority crimes but then again you may not be interested. However, if you are writing the police into your stories, you better get the right type of cop dealing with the right type of crime. If you missed my post about the PIP levels click HERE to catch up.
The category of volume and priority crime fall under PIP level 1 and are invariably investigated by a police constable as 
opposed to a detective constable. That’s not to say that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) may not get involved. If they feel that the investigating constable needs mentoring or developmental support, they may provide that. If there appear to be aggravating circumstance to the crime such as the victim is particularly vulnerable, they may intervene or take over the investigation.
Volume crime is that which is more common place than the more serious crimes. Despite what comes across on TV and in novels, murder is not an everyday or even monthly occurrence in most areas of the country. In fact, the average number of murders recorded by the police in England and Wales amounts to no more than around 700 per year. That is less than two per day across the whole of those two countries. Crimes such as theft, criminal damage and public order offences are part of the volume crime category.
Priority crimes are those that the individual police forces declare to be of sufficient seriousness to them and their community that action should be taken against them and their perpetrators.
Priority crimes may include robbery, burglary and vehicle-related criminality, but can also apply to criminal damage or assaults.
Offences categorised by the College of Policing as volume and priority investigations include:
- arson (criminal damage with no threat to life)
- burglary dwelling
- burglary non-dwelling
- cheque/credit card fraud
- criminal damage
- drugs possession offences
- minor Firearms Act offences
- going equipped for stealing
- handling stolen goods
- other fraud
- public order
- sexual assault (excluding sexual assault against children)
- street robbery
- theft from the person or motor vehicle
- theft of motor vehicle
- taking a vehicle without owner’s consent (including aggravated offences).
To find out what types of crime are considered to be “serious or complex” in the PIP Level 2 category, make sure you follow or subscribe to this blog or if you can’t wait, you could always seek out the answer in your very own copy of the British Police and Crime Directory for Writers and Researchers or click on the picture below to buy your copy:
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