A police chief has hit back against accusations that officers are too “woke” following a series of attacks by the home secretary.
Martin Hewitt, chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), said officers must defend action that builds public trust following a wave of scandals over racist, misogynistic and criminal police officers.
“If we are accused of being woke when taking action that we know is effective in building trust, with people where that increased trust is needed, we must stand tall and champion and defend that action,” he told a conference on Wednesday.
“We are rightly sceptical of token or gimmicks, meaningful action that works is what we need.”
Mr Hewitt’s speech came days after a watchdog’s report found that thousands of racist, abusive, predatory, corrupt or unsuitable police officers were recruited or left in service because of failings in vetting and disciplinary procedures.
HM Inspectorate of Constabulary said there were warning signs before Sarah Everard was kidnapped, raped and murdered by serving Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens – sparking a wave of ongoing inquiries.
Mr Hewitt, who is coming to the end of his four-year term leading the NPCC, said he had “repeatedly felt shame at hearing the actions of some individuals in our service and deep regret that we didn’t get these people out sooner”.
He said there were “pockets of toxic culture” in policing and that female, ethnic minority and gay officers were at risk as well as the public.
“We must solve the problems – urgently, fully and for the long term,” he added. “Public confidence and the confidence of our people depends on it.”
In an open letter to police chiefs in September, Suella Braverman claimed there was a “perception that the police have had to spend too much time on symbolic gestures, than actually fighting criminals”, and that diversity and inclusion initiatives had “taken precedence over common sense policing”.
During her speech to the Conservative Party conference weeks later, she called for “more PCs, less PC”, said it was “wrong” for officers to take the knee following the killing of George Floyd and accused officers of wasting time by “pandering to identity politics”.
The home secretary was due to speak at the NPCC and Association of Police and Crime Commissioners’ summit later on Wednesday.
It is her first major public engagement with senior officers after a series of engagement events were cancelled following her resignation in October and the collapse of Liz Truss’ government.
It is unclear whether Rishi Sunak will be pursuing Ms Truss’ demands for police to cut selected crimes, including murder by 20 per cent.
The policy, which was still in early development when the former prime minister resigned, prompted a backlash from senior police figures who called it “incoherent” and questioned how arbitrary targets would be measured or achieved.
