Police chief spells out dangers as forces stretched beyond capacity

A child experiencing a mental health crisis had to live in a police station for two days because of a lack of psychiatric places, a chief constable revealed as he condemned austerity for hitting the poorest areas hardest.

- Vikram Dodd

Sir David Thompson, who leads West Midlands police, said his force, which is still missing officers and funding after cuts, was being asked to do too much. He warned of rising crime as desperation increased in the poorest areas.

Thompson has been central to key chapters of modern British policing such as attempts to mitigate the damage from cuts imposed by the Conservative government after 2010, the fight against violent crime, and efforts to close the gap between police and black communities. In a Guardian interview to mark his retirement after 32 years in policing, he also:

● Dismissed claims from the government and rightwing media that the police are too woke.

● Condemned those trying to drag policing into the "culture wars".

● Revealed fears that the poorest areas would be hit hardest again by the cost of living crisis, fuelling a "real risk" of rising crime.

● Said that bias explained some of the reasons that black people experienced more use of force and coercive powers than other groups.

● Warned that police were being expected to do too much, including in the field of mental health.