Suella Braverman has told English and Welsh police forces that “common sense policing” must take precedence over diversity and inclusion initiatives.
The Home Secretary outlined her key priorities for the police and her crime-cutting agenda in an open letter to police chiefs published on Saturday.
Ms Braverman said she is “dismayed” by the apparent decline in public trust in the police in recent years, following high-profile incidents that “shattered” public trust.
“Culture and standards in the police have to change, particularly in London,” she wrote.
“It is absolutely vital that trust is restored and to address this, we must have visible and responsive policing.”
Ms Braverman said that there is also a perception forces have had to spend too much time on “symbolic gestures” than “actually fighting criminals”.
“This must change,” she said. “Initiatives on diversity and inclusion should not take precedence over common sense policing.”
The Home Secretary went on to outline her expectations of the police force, including a 20% reduction in serious violence, homicide, and neighbourhood crime.
“I want to investigate how we can improve charge rates which have dropped for many crimes, but none more so than for rape and sexual offences against women and children,” she said.
Ms Braverman also stated that she will ensure that forces have the tools and resources they need to improve.
This includes delivering the 20,000 additional officers promised by the Police Uplift Programme as well as the hundreds of millions of pounds in funding committed by the Government for 2022-2023.