Police officer Inspector Roger Bartlett (Banstaple Devon and Cornwall Police) who called on churchgoers to ask God to help fight crime has his prayers answered.
This one made me smile….for once:-
As an experienced police officer Inspector Roger Bartlett knows all about fighting crime.
But when he realised the crime detection rate in his district was one of the lowest in the force area, he decided the long arm of the law might need a bit of help.
He asked churchgoers to pool their efforts in calling on a higher power. God.
Now three years after encouraging locals to say their prayers to help the boys in blue – detection rates have soared, road accidents have fallen and Insp Bartlett is convinced it is evidence that God really does move in mysterious ways.
The 44-year-old policeman decided conventional policing could benefit from a little bit of help when he saw that the crime detection rate in his force area of Banstaple was one of the lowest in the Devon and Cornwall Police area.
The policeman who has 23 years experience, asked Christians to pray for the crime detection rate in 2007 – which at 26 per cent was one of the poorest in the region.
Every quarter since the detection rate has risen, so that now at more than 40 per cent it is one of the highest in the country.
Insp Bartlett asked for prayers for a reduction in the number of serious or fatal road accidents – and it fell from 97 in 2007/8 to 32 in 2008/9.
Last night the policeman said he was ‘convinced’ that people’s faith has had a positive impact on policing in Barnstaple.
The policeman, part of the leadership team of the local Christian Policing Team, began reporting at quarterly meetings of Christians from different churches in the town who want to pray for policing issues six years ago.
He said he has seen his prayers answered ‘on a number of occasions’.
There was the ‘unprecedented’ Halloween night when police did not have to attend a single incident of disorder.
Perhaps CoAct, who are a Christian policing group, and believe that the power of prayer can catch criminals and keep officers safe, were right. 
Tags: Christian Life, Law Moral Ethical