Don't Let Off Shoplifters Who Are Stealing To Eat, Minister Tells Police
The Guardian|May 20, 2022
The policing minister, Kit Malthouse, has disputed the suggestion of the chief inspector of constabulary, Andy Cooke, that the cost of living crisis would trigger an increase in crime.
Jamie Grierson
Don't Let Off Shoplifters Who Are Stealing To Eat, Minister Tells Police

As inflation hit a 40-year high of 9%, Cooke said on Wednesday that officers should use their "discretion" when deciding whether to prosecute people who stole in order to eat.

Appearing on ITV's Good Morning Britain yesterday, Malthouse, a longtime ally of Boris Johnson, said Cooke's thinking was "old-fashioned", adding: "Because people are challenged financially... that doesn't necessarily mean they're going to turn to crime."

The chief inspector of constabulary is the head of the independent assessor of police forces in England and Wales. Cooke, a former chief constable of Merseyside police, took over from Sir Tom Winsor last month.

This story is from the May 20, 2022 edition of The Guardian.

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This story is from the May 20, 2022 edition of The Guardian.

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