The middle classes have lost confidence in the police, a stark report has warned.
They fear they have been alienated by a service which routinely targets ordinary people rather than serious criminals, simply to fill Government crime quotas.
The attitude of some officers has also led to spiralling complaints about neglect of duty and rudeness.
The report from the Civitas think-tank says incidents which would once have been ignored are now treated as crimes - including a case of children chalking a pavement.
Its author, respected journalist Harriet Sergeant, says she was also told of a student being arrested, held for five hours and cautioned for keeping a London Underground lift door open with his foot.
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The report warns that a generation of young people - the police's favourite soft targets - are being criminalised, putting their future prospects at risk.
Some offences being prosecuted are now so minor that senior officers have even begun talks with the U.S. authorities to prevent such a 'criminal record' stopping decent citizens obtaining a visa to cross the Atlantic.
Meanwhile responses to crimes such as burglary are slow and statements given by victims of serious crime are often left lying idle for months, the report warns.
An apparent emphasis on motoring crimes is another negative factor.
Miss Sergeant warns: 'The loss of public confidence is a serious matter.
'The police cannot police without the backing of society. Without trust and consensus it is very difficult and costly to maintain law and order.'
