Home Secretary is accused of trying to distract from the real issues in policing

10 November 2022

Hertfordshire Police Federation chair Luke Mitchell said the Home Secretary was trying to distract from the real issues facing policing when she described the service as “woke”.

Luke said Suella Braverman’s comments attempted to divert attention from the poor pay and conditions of officers and the lack of funding for the service over the past decade.

He said: “Calling policing woke might get you a headline in certain sections of the media but all it does mask the real issues that face the service.

“We’re determined to tackle crimes that affect the public but an underfunded and undervalued police service will struggle to tackle every single incident, prevent crime and provide victim support.

“Our  members need a significant pay increase as many are struggling to make ends meet through the cost of living crisis.

“We’re struggling to attract the very best officers and to retain them through and after training because of poor pay and conditions.

“These are the real issues facing policing. The reality is that we’ve always worked in and with all of our communities to ensure they feel we’re there for them.

“We work hard to build trust in our communities, to attract officers from all of our communities to ensure there’s representation through the Force, and to develop relationships so that people will come forward with information and help us to tackle crime.

“That is common sense policing.”

Luke was responding to a speech by Ms Braverman at the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) and National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) Partnership Summit in which the Home Secretary praised Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Stephen Watson, saying “he rejects woke policing and embraced a back to basics approach”.

Ms Braverman said: “Our police officers’ time is precious, and the public want the police to be tackling crime, not debating genders on Twitter.”

She added: “The way to ensure public confidence in the police is to focus on getting the basics right.

“What I call common sense policing. The kind of policing the law-abiding patriotic majority 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.”

Read Ms Braverman’s speech in full.