Just to add a bit more balance the budget cuts are having a massive impact despite the ill informed views of some previous posters. There is more crime than officers to deal with it. It’s not uncommon for DC’s in CID to be managing in excess of 30+ investigations at once and those are usually more complex serious crimes. There is obviously poor service to the public on occasion (and it sounds like you’ve experienced it here DrP) but there are also some fairly unrealistic expectations from the public. Have a think about the breadth of things the Police are supposed to deal with. Everything from shoplifting to terrorism, cannabis smoking to murder, domestic arguments to missing children. Hope it gets sorted DrP.