The need to enforce COVID-19 restrictions has distracted British police from tackling serious offences even though recorded crime fell during the pandemic, a new study has found. Even though police in England and Wales recorded fewer crimes during the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic, they did not appear to get extra time to investigate more serious offences, according to a joint report (pdf) by the Police Foundation, the UK’s policing think tank, and the Crest Advisory consultancy. They found that the fall in crime was “largely offset” by the rise in non-crime demand, much of which was linked to the enforcement of COVID-19 rules. According to the report, by the end of March 2020, most police forces in England and Wales were experiencing “dramatic reductions” in recorded crime. “The restrictions on movement and gathering, the closing of non-essential shops, and the complete suspension of the night-time economy radically changed …