Don’t let people off if they steal meals in desperation, minister tells police | Police

The policing minister, Package Malthouse, has disputed the suggestion of the chief inspector of constabulary, Andy Cooke, that the price of dwelling crisis will set off an increase in crime, branding it “old-fashioned” thinking.

As inflation hit a 40-year high of 9%, Cooke mentioned on Wednesday that officers ought to use their “discretion” when deciding whether or not to prosecute individuals who steal so as to eat.

Appearing on ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Thursday, Malthouse, a longtime ally of Boris Johnson, mentioned Cooke’s thinking was “old-fashioned”, adding: “As a result of people are challenged financially … that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to turn to crime.”

The chief inspector of constabulary is the pinnacle of the impartial assessor of police forces in England and Wales. Cooke, a former chief constable of Merseyside police, took over from Sir Tom Winsor in the position last month.

Malthouse has told officers to not let shoplifters off if they're stealing food out of desperation throughout the price of living crisis.

He later advised LBC, ministers would ensure police do not turn a blind eye to shoplifters stealing food.

“In truth I wrote to chief constables just a yr or so in the past saying they should not be ignoring those seemingly small crimes,” he stated.

Earlier, the minister instructed Instances Radio: “The broad rule is that justice needs to be blind and I hope and believe that is the principle that sits behind not just the police but the operation of the courts as well.

“I've to challenge this connection between poverty and crime. What we’ve discovered up to now, and the place there's now rising proof, is that truly crime is a contributor to poverty. That for those who take away the violence and the crime from individuals’s lives they generally prosper more than they otherwise would.”

Cooke had earlier mentioned: “The impression of poverty, and the impact of lack of opportunity for individuals, does result in a rise in crime. There’s no two methods about that.”

When requested how policing could avoid being seen as the arm of an uncaring state, he mentioned forces across England and Wales were expert in dealing with the tensions and dynamics of their communities.

“What they’ve received to keep in mind is what is the smartest thing for the group, and that individual, in the best way they deal with those issues. And I actually fully help law enforcement officials utilizing their discretion – and they need to use discretion extra usually.”