logo
Police will not have to pick and choose which crimes to investigate, says Reeves

Police will not have to pick and choose which crimes to investigate, says Reeves

Independent6 days ago

Police will not have to make choices about which crimes they investigate following the Government's spending review, Rachel Reeves has signalled.
Senior police chiefs and Government watchdogs have written to the Prime Minister warning they will be forced to make difficult choices if spending cuts are announced by the Chancellor next Wednesday.
In a letter to Sir Keir Starmer, Sir Mark Rowley – the head of the Metropolitan Police – and other senior chiefs, warned cuts to police budgets will have 'far-reaching consequences', according to the Times newspaper.
Meanwhile, in a separate letter, Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales Dame Nicole Jacobs and Victims' Commissioner for England and Wales Baroness Helen Newlove wrote to Sir Keir saying victim support services are being 'pushed to the brink', hit by funding cuts and rising costs.
But the Chancellor sought to ease the worries of police leaders.
Speaking in Rochdale, Ms Reeves told reporters: 'We will be increasing spending on police in the spending review next week, so that's not a decision… or a choice that I would recognise.'
The letter from the police chiefs said negotiations between the Treasury and the Home Office were going 'poorly'.
It read: 'A settlement that fails to address our inflation and pay pressures would entail stark choices about which crimes we no longer prioritise.'
Last week, senior police officers – including Sir Mark – wrote a letter in the Times calling for 'serious investment' in the spending review, which will set out the Government's day-to-day departmental budgets for the next three years.
'A lack of investment will bake in the structural inefficiencies for another three years and will lose a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reform the service,' the letter warned.
Dame Nicole and Baroness Newlove welcomed Sir Keir's 'personal commitment to halving violence against women and girls within a decade' in their letter, but said they are concerned 'funding cuts and scaled back ambition are leading to piecemeal policies'.
They called for a 'clear, well-funded national approach to prevent and respond to abuse, violence, and exploitation of women and girls'.
They added: 'With bold and ambitious investment, we can finally tackle the systemic stain of violence and abuse, one that would see us get to grips with misogyny, ensure victims can recover from trauma, and build a criminal justice system that delivers for survivors every single time.'
On Wednesday, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander denied some of her Cabinet colleagues are engaged in a row over funding for the police.
'I'm not privy to any of those conversations,' she said, adding there is a 'really collegiate atmosphere around the Cabinet table on the part of every single Cabinet member'.
A Home Office spokesperson said: 'We are backing the police to protect our communities and keep our streets safe with up to £17.6 billion this year, an increase of up to £1.2 billion.
'This includes £200 million to kickstart putting 13,000 additional neighbourhood police officers, PCSOs and special constables that the public will see back on their streets and patrolling communities, as part of our Plan for Change.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Foreign Office staff told to consider resigning after challenging UK policy on Gaza
Foreign Office staff told to consider resigning after challenging UK policy on Gaza

The Guardian

time5 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

Foreign Office staff told to consider resigning after challenging UK policy on Gaza

More than 300 Foreign Office staff have been told to consider resigning after they wrote a letter complaining they feared it had become complicit in Israel's alleged war crimes in Gaza. It is the fourth such internal letter from staff about the offensive in Gaza, which started in October 2023 in response to Hamas's deadly attack on Israel. In their letter of 16 May the staff, from embassies around the world and at various levels of seniority, questioned the UK's continued arms sales and what they called Israel's 'stark … disregard for international law'. The Foreign Office said it had systems for staff to raise concerns and added the government had 'rigorously applied international law' in relation to the war in Gaza. The reply to the letter was sent by the permanent under-secretary, Oliver Robbins, and Nick Dyer, the second most senior civil servant in the Foreign Office. They told the signatories: '[I]f your disagreement with any aspect of government policy or action is profound, your ultimate recourse is to resign from the civil service. This is an honourable course.' The reply did not address the substantive complaints by staff. The letter, first reported by the BBC, said: 'In July 2024, staff expressed concern about Israel's violations of international humanitarian law and potential UK government complicity. In the intervening period, the reality of Israel's disregard for international law has become more stark.' It went on to list the killing by Israeli forces of 15 humanitarian workers in March and Israel's suspension of all aid to Gaza in the same month 'leading many experts and humanitarian organisations to accuse Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war'. It said the UK government's position had contributed to 'the erosion of global norms', citing continued weapons exports and the visit to London in April by Israel's foreign minister, Gideon Sa'ar, 'despite concerns about violations of international law'. The Foreign Office described Sa'ar's visit as private, even though he met the foreign secretary, David Lammy. The staff letter added that 'supported by the Trump administration, the Israeli government has made explicit plans for the forcible transfer of Gaza's population'. In response, Robbins and Dyer said the department welcomed 'healthy challenge' as part of the policymaking process and had already set up a 'bespoke Challenge Board' and regular listening sessions with employees to hear concerns in this policy area. They wrote that staff were entitled to their personal views, but added it 'might be helpful' to 'remind' them of mechanisms available to those uncomfortable with policy. It went on to list a series of ways staff could raise issues, before adding that resignation was an 'ultimate recourse' and 'honourable course' for those with profound disagreements over government policy. '[T]he bargain at the heart of the British civil service is that we sign up to deliver the policies of the government of the day wholeheartedly, within the limits imposed by the law and the civil service code,' it said. The UK government's position is that Israel is 'at risk' of breaching humanitarian law, the threshold for barring arms exports, but says it is for international courts to determine if breaches of international law have occurred, which will not be fully determined for many years. Senior foreign office ministers are due to be challenged in the business select committee over why the government is continuing to sell parts and components to the F-35 programme without placing a condition that the parts are not sent on to Israel. The UK is not selling directly to Israel, and claims it has no option but to supply the parts or see the whole F-35 programme grind to a halt, affecting Nato operations defending Europe. The carve-out of F-35s from the ban on UK arms being sold to Israel, imposed in September, is being tested in the high court by the NGOs Global Legal Action Network and Al-Haq. The Foreign Office in its court submissions, likely to be the subject of cross-examination by the business committee, said it had determined Israel was not committing a genocide in Gaza, which appears to contradict the stance that only the UK courts can make such a ruling. It also said it could not take a position on specific attacks by Israel since it did not have definitive evidence. In September, Lammy announced the suspension of about 30 arms exports licences to Israel, and said the remaining licences were not relevant to the war in Gaza – although the government admits some of the licences allow exports to the Israel Defence Forces. Israel has consistently denied committing war crimes in Gaza, saying its actions are proportionate and necessary to eradicate Hamas, which it says uses hospitals and school premises to protect itself. The former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has gathered the names of 50 MPs backing his call for an independent public inquiry into UK involvement in military operations in Gaza. Corbyn has been among MPs pressing ministers to explain why RAF jets from the UK base in Akrotiri in Cyprus fly regularly over Gaza. More than 300 surveillance flights have been recorded, allegedly in search of Hamas-held hostages. Questions are also being asked if Israel acted lawfully by intercepting the ship Madleen in international waters, containing Greta Thunberg and 11 other campaigners seeking to highlight the blockade of food into Gaza. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition , the group operating the UK-flagged Madleen, said all 12 campaigners were 'being processed and transferred into the custody of Israeli authorities'. The Foreign Office has not commented.

Man spotted being chased across Heathrow Airport taxiway fled as he boarded flight to be deported from UK
Man spotted being chased across Heathrow Airport taxiway fled as he boarded flight to be deported from UK

The Sun

time9 minutes ago

  • The Sun

Man spotted being chased across Heathrow Airport taxiway fled as he boarded flight to be deported from UK

A MAN who was filmed running across the tarmac at Heathrow Airport was due to board a deportation flight. Incredible footage showed the man being chased by at least four other men around the grounds of the airport near Terminal 2. The Sun understands the man was set to board a deportation flight before he escaped, fleeing past moving aircraft on Sunday evening. In the stunning clip shared on social media, the man could be seen racing across the tarmac while wearing something wide around his waist. It is understood he managed to break free from his security escorts before boarding the flight. After being chased for over a minute across the busy airport grounds, the man eventually gives up. The Home Office is also understood to be investigating the incident alongside its escort supplier. is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun. 1

Urgent hunt for missing schoolgirl, 13, last seen in pyjamas as cops ‘growing concerned for welfare'
Urgent hunt for missing schoolgirl, 13, last seen in pyjamas as cops ‘growing concerned for welfare'

The Sun

time9 minutes ago

  • The Sun

Urgent hunt for missing schoolgirl, 13, last seen in pyjamas as cops ‘growing concerned for welfare'

Breaking FRANTIC SEARCH She was last seen yesterday evening Published : 9:14, 10 Jun 2025 Updated : 9:20, 10 Jun 2025 AN URGENT manhunt is underway to find a missing schoolgirl. Nereah, 13, was last seen at 7pm last night in Gloucestershire, wearing grey pyjamas. She reportedly left a property on Legion Way in Brockworth, near Gloucester, on the evening of June 9. She has not been spotted since. Police officers in the area are "growing concerned for her welfare." Nereah is described as being black and 5ft 6in in height. She has also been described as being of medium build, and with shoulder-length braided hair. Nereah is reported to have been wearing a black coat over grey pyjamas, along with white trainers and a black handbag. In a statement of appeal, Gloucestershire Constabulary said: "Police are appealing for help in locating a teenage girl who has gone missing from Brockworth. "Officers are growing concerned for her welfare and are asking the public for any information on her whereabouts. "Anyone with information on Nereah's location is asked to contact 101, quoting incident 540 of 9 June. If you can see Nereah at the time of calling, please ring 999.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store