Role of specialist officers or staff for adults at risk of abuse that seems legal

Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.24.039124

I note you seek access to the following information:

I note here, which appears to be a page from Metropolitan Police
MPS - Advice and Information - Adult Elder Abuse it says "Adults requiring care and support may not be able to protect themselves from abuse or neglect. We have specialist trained officers and staff who work to protect adults at risk of abuse."

Obviously, there are various criminal offences that may be committed when someone is being abused or neglected.

1. However, are the specialist officers and staff primarily there to deal with cases where a specific criminal offence may be being committed, or this some role the police have that doesn't involve criminal law?
   I am thinking of cases of psychological abuse (that may then also lead on to neglecting someone, causing them trauma by ignoring them), and traditionally the law has tended to deal with physical abuse rather than psychological harm, cases of psychological abuse that may be by organisations and organisations that aren't involved in caring responsibilities and therefore may not have criminal law responsibility in any duty of care and the abuse and neglect isn't in a domestic violence context. I can't see that these would be police responsibilities when no crime may be committed - I don't know about and am wondering what work police have that isn't about criminal law?
   I'd have thought adults at risk of abuse that doesn't involve criminal offences being committed was a social services matter and not a matter for police involvement.
2. Why therefore is the above page saying you have trained officers and staff, telling me of various abuse and neglect and then saying "If you are worried that you or someone you know is suffering adult or elder abuse or neglect, please contact us immediately"?
3. Why not advising social services in case where it doesn't seem criminal? (I mean, in my view, it ought to be criminal but I don't think it actually is - it doesn't come under any of the crimes mentioned there - this is no abuse done by an individual against anyone else, no-one is being neglected in manslaughter situation, there is no cuckooing being done by any criminal, no duress. It is organisational abuse but the organisation is *not* a care setting. How does this fall to the police?)
   It may be an issue of safeguarding, but I am not aware that organisations away from safeguarding organisations and organisations in the care sector and health services have any legal duties, still less any criminal law legal duties, to have a safeguarding policy. It may be good practice but no criminal law legal duty requirement particularly of organisations that are commercial businesses. Therefore, I can't see how this is a police matter. They can neglect people as long as they don't break the criminal law as no duty of care is involved where they haven't done anything that could then see one taken on for any duty to do anything for anyone at all. They are not a statutory emergency service that does have duties to rescue people.
4. I am interested in knowing something about the police's work in non-criminal matters in this area - has it become a social services place asking for adult and elder abuse to be reported immediately to the police (which is what "please contact us immediately" says there)?
5. Yes, lots of instances of adult or elder abuse are criminal and therefore police matters. However, social services is for adult or elder abuse and, where it is not criminal, why "contact [police] immediately"?
6. Have not the specialist officers and staff got enough to do with abuse and neglect cases that are criminal law offences without cases of all adult or elder abuse being brought to them because of what this page says?
7. What role are the officers/staff having in doing tasks that aren't dealing with criminal law (that is being implied to me from the information on that page)?

Decision

I have today decided to disclose the located information to you in full.

Please find below information pursuant to your request above.

We would expect elder abuse to be dealt with by a detective given the complexity. They are specially trained to PIP2 investigative standards and would also work with partners such as social care or Independent Domestic Violence Advocates (IDVAs) to safeguard and protect the vulnerable. The Community Safety Course (CSU) has a session on adults at risk and partnership working.

We ask members of the public to inform the police as we can then make an assessment as to whether a crime has or has not occurred. Where a crime has not occurred, but the individual is still at risk of abuse or neglect and requires safeguarding then Social Care will be informed.