Police told to focus on 'tackling crime, not debating gender online'

Suella Braverman reads riot act to ‘politically correct’ police as she vows action to ensure forces focus on ‘tackling crime’ not ‘debating gender on Twitter’

• Suella Braverman tells police chiefs to focus on ‘common sense policing’
• Home Secretary wanrs against officers using time ‘debating gender on Twitter’
• She urges a ‘back to basics approach’ in forthright speech to police conference

Home Secretary Suella Braverman today told police chiefs to ensure their officers are focused on ‘common sense policing’ and not ‘debating gender on Twitter’.

In a forthright speech to a police chiefs’ conference in London, Mrs Braverman took a swipe at ‘politically correct distractions’ as she urged a ‘back to basics approach’.

The Home Secretary promised action to ensure police time was prioritised on dealing with ‘threats to people and their property’.

Mrs Braverman – who was swiftly reappointed to her role by new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last month, despite having been forced to resign six days earlier over security breaches – outlined how she thought officers could ensure they retain public confidence.

‘The way to ensure public confidence in the police is to focus on getting the basics right,’ she told a joint summit of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, and National Police Chiefs’ Council.

‘What I call “common sense policing”. The kind of policing the law-abiding, patriotic majority of British people deserves and expects.

‘No politically correct distractions, just good old-fashioned policing – with a relentless focus on making our streets, homes and transport networks safer.

‘Responding to all burglaries, tackling anti-social behaviour and the horrendous trade in illegal drugs, and supporting victims.’

In a forthright speech to a police chiefs’ conference in London, Suella Braverman took a swipe at ‘politically correct distractions’ as she urged a ‘back to basics approach’

The Home Secretary promised action to ensure police time was prioritised on dealing with ‘threats to people and their property’

Mrs Braverman, who has also endured a storm of criticism over her handling of Britain’s asylum system, told police chiefs she knew their officers could ‘really drive down crime’ if they were ‘properly empowered to do the job for which they signed up’.

‘The Government wants to see reductions in homicide, other serious violence, and neighbourhood crime,’ she added.

‘I know it’s possible. Our best police officers are, simply put, the finest in the world.’

The Home Secretary praised Stephen Watson, the chief constable of Greater Manchester Police, for his ‘superb leadership’ in improving the performance of the force.

She said: ‘How did he do it? He put more bobbies on the beat, pursued every crime, made excellent use of stop and search, and insisted that officers were smartly turned out with polished boots.

‘A back to basics approach. For me, that is excellence in policing.’

In a promise of action on ‘non-crime hate incidents’ to free up police time, Mrs Braverman told delegates: ‘Your police officers’ time is precious.

‘The public want the police to be tackling crime, not debating gender on Twitter.

‘I have asked my officials to revisit the issue of non-crime hate incidents as a first step.

‘As I want to be sure that we are allowing you to prioritise your time and your energy to deal with threats to people and their property.’

The College for Policing recently updated the guidance on ‘non-crime hate incidents’ in response to ex-police officer Harry Miller’s successful legal challenge over alleged transphobic tweets.

Campaigners have expressed fears that 120,000 non-crime hate incidents being logged on police computers in Britain had impacted on people applying for jobs such as teachers or carers.

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