Home Secretary Suella Braverman tells police to stop symbolic gestures

The home secretary has written to police chiefs calling for change to the "culture and standards" in policing.

In a letter to forces in England and Wales, newly-appointed Suella Braverman said public trust had been shattered.

She said there is a perception that police "have had to spend too much time on symbolic gestures, rather than actually fighting crime".

Initiatives on diversity and inclusion "should not take precedence over common-sense policing" she said.

She said drug-fuelled crimes and other offences such as vehicle theft, vandalism and graffiti were not being treated seriously enough.

The letter was Ms Braverman's first public interaction with chief constables and police and crime commissioners in England and Wales since being appointed home secretary.

"I am dismayed by the perceived deterioration of public confidence in the police," she wrote, adding that too many high-profile incidents "have shattered public trust".

Culture and standards need to change, particularly in London, she said.

To restore trust, the home secretary said "responsive and visible" policing was needed and the public "have a right to expect that the police get the basics right".

"To put it simply, the public want to know that an officer will visit them after a crime such as burglary."

Ms Braverman said she expected police forces to cut homicide, serious violence and neighbourhood crime by 20%.

"To do my part", she said she was committed to ensuring all forces have the necessary resources "to respond to the evolving profile of crime".

She said she was "steadfastly determined" to deliver the additional 20,000 officers previously promised.

Ms Braverman was recently appointed by Prime Minister Liz Truss, after initially running against her in the early stages of the Tory leadership contest.

On Thursday, the police inspectorate found that the Met was "failing" in several areas of its work, which has raised "serious concerns" over the force's performance.

His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services has said the Metropolitan Police must make "urgent improvements" following a series of scandals.

Elsewhere, Greater Manchester Police was criticised earlier this year for "falling short" after it was placed in special measures in 2020.