The police should really try doing their job for a change. In recent weeks, the public has been continually reminded of how far crime prevention has fallen on our police chiefs’ list of priorities. In the run up to the UK government’s spending review on Wednesday, a number of senior officers seem to have put crime fighting to one side to act as full-time lobbyists.

At points, some police leaders sounded like they were holding the UK government to ransom over what they’ve described as ‘funding cuts’. Police Federation chair Tiff Lynch went as far to say that the public would ‘pay the price’ for Labour’s ‘austerity’. Her comments echoed those of Met commissioner Mark Rowley, who the week before said that Londoners could expect ‘sustained increases’ in knife crime and violence against women unless his financial demands were met. Even some serious crimes would have to be ‘deprioritised’, he argued.

A few objections spring to mind in response to these statements. The first problem is their accuracy. Despite police chiefs pleading poverty, chancellor Rachel Reeves actually increased the police budget by £2.1 billion in the spending review – that’s an increase of nearly two per cent in real terms. For once, Rachel from Accounts is not the innumerate one here.

Most Britons will have probably felt another, heartier objection forming at the base of their throat after hearing police higher-ups warning that their safety is at risk. After all, the police do not appear to have been serving or indeed protecting the public for a while now.