Home Secretary tells Police to attend burglaries

Suella Braverman, the Home Secretary, has told police chiefs that the general public expect their officers to visit every burglary. This is seen as a drive to get back to basics.

In her first major statement since taking up her new post Ms Braverman said that they, the Police, needed to stop wasting time on "symbolic gestures". This seemingly included taking the knee and initiatives on diversity and inclusion. Emphasis is expected to be focussed on "common sense policing."

She wrote a letter to all 43 chief constables and police commissioners in England and Wales within which she suggested that she had been "dismayed by the perceived deterioration of public confidence" in police in the past few years.

This followed "too many" high-profile incidents like the murder of Sarah Everard that had "shattered public trust" in communities across the UK.

Ms Braverman made clear that she wanted to see a big improvement in charging rates, not only for rape and sexual offences, but also for neighbourhood crimes like burglary.

At present less than seven per cent of domestic burglaries end in the offender being charged. With theft that number falls to four per cent, and only one percent for car theft.

The Home Secretary said, "It is absolutely vital that trust is restored and to address this, we must have visible and responsive policing. It must deliver the public's priorities, and it must treat victims with the respect they deserve."

Further comment was made, "The public have a right to expect that the police get the basics right: driving down anti-social behaviour and neighbourhood crime, which can so easily rip through our communities.The public want to know that an officer will visit them after a crime such as burglary. They want to feel safe in their cities, towns and villages."

She added, "this is not just about doing your day job well, it is also about victims needing to feel supported and not ignored. Unfortunately, there is a perception that the police have had to spend too much time on symbolic gestures, than fighting criminals. This must change. Initiatives on diversity and inclusion should not take precedence over common sense policing."

Ms Braverman was the former attorney general who took over as Home Secretary from Priti Patel.

The Johnson Partnership

(formerly GV Hale)

Barnsley Crime Solicitors