ACPO President Sir Hugh Orde has responded to David Cameron's criticism of the police response to the recent mob violence seen on UK streets. Speaking on Thursday's BBC Newsnight, he answered the Prime Minister's criticism of the police made during yesterday's House of Commons emergency debate and Theresa May's claims that it was she that ordered a more 'robust' approach to policing the unrest.

He said: "The fact that politicians chose to come back is an irrelevance in terms of the tactics that were by then developing. The more robust policing tactics you saw were not a function of political interference; they were a function of the numbers being available to allow the chief constables to change their tactics."

When asked whether, in the light of recent events, budget cuts would affect public safety, he suggested that a reduction in police numbers would lead to a very different policing landscape. He said: "We need to have some very honest conversations with government about what we stop doing if we are to maintain front line service delivery at current levels."

 

Posted August 12, 2011 at 1445 by Phil. Comment by emailing: philip.mason@pavpub.com