RT-Engels: 13-09-2024,
The British minister for policing and crime prevention, Diana Johnson, had her purse stolen while speaking about rising lawlessness at a conference for top police officials on Tuesday.
The incident happened during the annual Police Superintendents’ Association (PSA) conference in Kenilworth, as confirmed by the ministry to the Financial Times. Warwickshire Police reported that they are investigating a theft at the hotel hosting the event. A 56-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of burglary and has since been released on bail, according to the police.
In her speech at the PSA conference, Johnson, who holds the Home Office position under the new Labour government, vowed to “restore respect for the rule of law on British streets, including restoring respect for the police, which has sadly eroded over many years.”
Town centers across the country have been “gripped by an epidemic of antisocial behavior, theft, and shoplifting,” she stated.
Despite the efforts of “thousands of incredible police officers” and other staff doing an “admirable” job, Johnson acknowledged, “we must face the reality that there are still too many victims of antisocial behavior who feel that when they call the police, no one listens, no one comes, and nothing is done.”
This month, the UK decided to release thousands of prisoners early amid a jail overcrowding crisis, coinciding with hundreds of arrests during riots across the country. PSA President Nick Smart told the conference that the move left the police at the center of a storm not of their making.