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Dame Cressida Dick, the newly-departed Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, says policing has become \\u2018too politicised\\u2019. When her force has been criticised on the right for investigating \\u2018Partygate\\u2019 and on the left for letting the Prime Minister off too lightly, and when the Durham Police must now decide whether to end the career of the leader of the Labour Party, it\\u2019s hard to argue with her.

The Public Order Bill, which had its second reading this week, will create new legal powers to prevent or punish disruptive demonstrations. That too, critics say, is putting politics into policing.

Meanwhile, the newly-arrived Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Andy Cooke, has been talking about priorities. He predicted that the cost of living crisis will trigger an increase in crime and advised officers to \\u2018use their discretion\\u2019 when people are caught shop-lifting. One columnist wanted to know exactly how much he could nick without getting banged up.

Police officers in Scotland have asked for guidance on how to enforce new hate crime legislation after being \\u2018inundated\\u2019 with complaints about posts on social media. At its conference last week, the Police Federation of England and Wales was given a list of horror stories about misogyny in \\u2018every single force\\u2019. This week the National Police Chiefs Council declared itself \\u2018ashamed\\u2019 about racism in law enforcement.

Only six per cent of all crimes resulted in a charge last year. For reported rapes, the charge rate was 1.3 per cent.

Some reformers want police priorities and targets set locally by the communities that are being policed. Others say it is precisely the new requirement that the police should be sensitive to everybody\\u2019s feelings that\\u2019s stopping them from locking up law-breakers.

Where should the police's priorities lie?

With Morag Livingstone, Dr Victor Olisa, Zoe Strimpel and Dr Roy Bailey

Producer: Peter Everett.