Half of calls to Met Police victim helpline unanswered

The Crime Management Service was launched in 2016

The Met Police is only answering half of the number of calls it receives to its victims of crime helpline, figures released to the BBC show.

In January 2019, 80% of calls to its Crime Management Service (CMS) were answered. By September this year, that figure dropped to 49%.

One caller described it as "the worst experience I've had in my life".

The force said there had been a "massive increase" in demand and it was taking measures to improve the service.

The phone number, 0208 284 5100, was set up in 2016 for victims to use to get an update on an investigation into a crime they have reported.

Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act showed the average time someone waited to speak to an officer had tripled to 13 minutes, and the maximum time someone waited before hanging up had increased from 21 minutes to 45 minutes.

'Same old story'

On Twitter, people have complained about not being able to get through to the helpline for more than a year.

Homer Beklik said he had been trying to speak to someone for the past six months about three burglaries at his home in north London.

He said: "It's the worst experience I've had in my life. I can't get through. I call at night, I call during the day, I call every hour and it's the same old.

"I have also exchanged maybe 50 or 60 direct messages with the Met Police on Twitter. It's always the same, 'we'll get back to you, we'll be in touch'. It's the same old story."

Mr Beklik said this watch, which was given to his late brother by President Charles de Gaulle, was been stolen from his home

Mr Beklik has reported two watches as being stolen from his home. One was given to his brother when he was an ambassador by General Charles de Gaulle, who led France during World War Two, and the other was given to Mr Beklik by the prime minister of Kuwait.

He continued: "For the past few years that I have been residing in the UK I have had three burglaries and it's the same old story - nobody cares.

"It's over £250,000 of my belongings taken and they just give you excuses and say 'we will call you' - it's really a mess.

"Every time you have a complaint they refer you to a number and every time I call I was just part of the queue."

'Support victims'

When it launched, the unit had 14 staff on the phones who would handle between 200-250 calls per day from 09:00-17:00 BST Monday to Friday. In 2019, this was increased to 24 staff due to its hours being extended to 21:00.

Previously all 32 London boroughs answered their own calls but the system was centralised in April 2016 to make it a more "efficient" process, and so victims did not have to rely solely on a response from the officer conducting the investigation.

In a statement, the Met said it was working to better match staffing to where the demand was greatest.

It added it was also working to "better signpost callers to online contact to enable the most efficient resolution of their inquiry, however it wanted to ensure that a crime victim could always speak to a member of the team if they wish".

"The officer investigating the case is best placed by far to provide an update to a victim of crime, but the CMS will continue to be there to support victims," it said.