UK police and crime minister has wallet stolen at police conference
Unlock Digest Editor for free
FT Editor Roula Khalaf picks her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
UK Police and Crime Secretary Diana Johnson had her wallet stolen at an annual conference for senior police officers on Tuesday.
Johnson gave a speech at the Association of Chief Police Officers conference in which she warned of the “epidemic of anti-social behaviour, theft and pickpocketing” that the Labour government had inherited from the Conservatives.
Warwickshire Police said they had arrested a 56-year-old man in connection with the theft of a wallet at a four-star hotel outside Kenilworth in the Midlands, where a police conference was taking place.
The man was arrested on suspicion of theft and has been released on bail, police added.
The Home Office confirmed that Johnson had his belongings stolen at the conference and said no security risks had been identified. It declined to comment further. The PSA declined to comment.
The burglary occurred on the same day the government began releasing some prisoners early to address prison overcrowding in England and Wales. Tensions in the criminal justice system were exacerbated by riots that broke out in August.
PSA chairman Nick Smart, in his speech at the conference, condemned “chronic underinvestment” in policing in recent years, which he said had left the force “financially drowning” and “operating on a shoestring”.
He criticized the handling of overcrowding in prison and the release of prisoners, saying police officers faced “the prospect of arresting offenders who could not then be sent to prison, and dealing with the consequences of the thousands of criminals released this morning, many of whom were likely to have no appropriate rehabilitation and release plans”.
After the conference, Johnson said in a post on X that he was “delighted to speak” at the conference and thanked officers for their “tireless efforts” during the summer riots.
The Minister of Police, Fire and Crime Prevention did not mention the theft in the post.
According to Police Academya specialized agency, directors “lead a large and/or complex area of command within the force” and “contribute to the development of the culture, climate, and work processes within their area to ensure compliance with standards.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has vowed ahead of the 4 July general election that “if Labour comes to power, we will not stand by and watch crime run rampant on our streets”. He has promised to recruit 3,000 new police officers and 4,000 community support officers.
The England and Wales Crime Survey estimates there were 2.7 million burglaries in the year ending September 2023, a similar figure to the previous year but down 19 per cent on pre-pandemic levels.
