Latest news with #SirStephenWatson
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Top police chiefs call for crackdown on cannabis
Three of Britain's most senior police chiefs have urged their officers to crack down on cannabis use. Sir Andy Marsh, who leads the College of Policing, said the smell of the drug makes him feel unsafe as he urged frontline officers to 'do something about it'. Sir Stephen Watson, the chief constable of Greater Manchester Police, and Serena Kennedy, the chief constable of Merseyside Police, joined him in calling for a tougher line on use of the drug. They said ignoring 'the little stuff' would lead to confidence in police being undermined as they launched a new leadership programme for policing. Sir Andy told the Daily Mail: 'In my community, my kids are too frightened to use the bus stop because it always stinks of cannabis. 'I'm speaking from personal experience and people I talk to, if I walk through a town, city, or even village centre and I smell cannabis, it does actually have an impact on how safe I feel. 'One definition of what police should be doing is – [if] something [is] happening which does not feel right, someone ought to do something about it. 'For me, the smell of cannabis around communities, it feels like a sign of crime and disorder.' His comments are a rebuke to Sir Sadiq Khan, who recently backed legalising possession of small amounts of cannabis over fears drug laws are damaging relations between police and ethnic minorities. The Mayor of London came out in favour of decriminalisation after his independent London drug commission found that cannabis laws were 'disproportionate to the harms it can pose, particularly in the case of possession for personal use'. Cannabis 'not really low-level crime' Meanwhile, figures released on Sunday showed three quarters of people caught with the drug were let off with an informal warning. The head of Merseyside Police said: 'The public should absolutely expect us to take positive action around those things and hold us to account over it. 'We have to work with our communities, it's no longer good enough to inflict priorities on them, we have to hear their voices and make them part of the problem-solving.' Sir Stephen said: 'This is the so-called lower level stuff, but actually it really isn't lower level stuff in the sense that this is where the public take their cues as to how safe or otherwise they feel, and how effective or otherwise is policing.' The three also backed an overhaul of the recording of non-crime hate incidents as they are damaging public trust in policing. Sir Andy said 'immutable damage to trust and confidence' in forces is caused when police handle these things wrong.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Police hit out at 'distraction of non-crime hate incidents' as officers forced to waste time investigating cases like a nine-year-old who called a fellow pupil a 'r*****' and two schoolgirls who said a child smelled 'like fish'
Britain's top police chiefs have warned that recording 'non-crime hate incidents' has become a 'distraction' which is damaging public trust. Sir Andy Marsh who leads the College of Policing, Greater Manchester chief Sir Stephen Watson and Merseyside Chief Constable Serena Kennedy have jointly called for an overhaul of the legislation saying it needs 'sorting out' because the issue can do 'immeasurable damage to trust and confidence' in policing. Launching a new leadership programme for policing, the trio spoke candidly about the need for future chief constables to communicate to the public how they are going to 'cut crime, catch criminals, keep people safe,' instead of wasting time on 'hurty words'. It comes after a series of controversial cases, including officers responding to incidents such as a nine-year-old pupil calling another a 'retard' and an occasion when two secondary schoolgirls said that a child smelled 'like fish'. More than 133,000 non-crime hate incidents have been recorded since they were introduced in 2014. But in November the Home Secretary announced a review following a request from the National Police Chiefs' Council and the College of Policing, which sets standards. Yesterday Sir Stephen said: 'It's easy to assume that we have some sort of weird fetish chasing stuff in social media, frankly we would rather really not if we can avoid it. 'In the context of things that are communicated online, people will accuse us sometimes of pursuing hurty words on the basis, somehow, it's an attack on free speech.' He added: 'I do think it has become a distraction. It has become something that the public trouble themselves over and particularly when they contrast our being seen to do things which they would argue are not matters for the police – and in certain examples they are right – contrast that with some of our failures to do some of the basics and that really annoys people.' Ms Kennedy added: 'Non-crime hate incidents are having a disproportionate impact on trust and confidence in policing and we absolutely need to sort that out in terms of what is the role of policing. 'We also need to be clear that our officers are not spending hours and hours and hours dealing with these jobs every day… But the reason we do need to sort it out is because of the disproportionate impact it has on policing every time we hear about one of these stories.' Sir Andy told the Mail: 'When policing gets it wrong, it causes immeasurable damage to trust and confidence.'
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Top police chiefs say smell of cannabis is a 'sign of crime' that can make even them feel 'unsafe'... and frontline officers should 'do something about it'
Britain's top police chiefs today urge their officers to crack down on cannabis. The country's longest-serving chief constable admits the smell of the drug is a 'sign of crime and disorder' which makes even him 'feel unsafe'. Sir Andy Marsh, who leads the College of Policing, said frontline officers should 'do something about it'. He is backed by Greater Manchester Police Chief Sir Stephen Watson and Merseyside Chief Constable Serena Kennedy. In a joint intervention following recent calls for decriminalisation, they tell future police leaders they must listen to their communities and be prepared to take a tougher line. Launching a new leadership programme for policing, they acknowledged forces were in a 'foot race for public confidence' and officers can no longer ignore what has traditionally been perceived as the 'little stuff'. Sir Andy, who is the officer in charge of police standards, said: 'In my community, my kids are too frightened to use the bus stop because it always stinks of cannabis.' He told the Mail 'policing is about creating an environment that people feel safe in' and said: 'I'm speaking from personal experience and people I talk to, if I walk through a town, city, or even village centre and I smell cannabis, it does actually have an impact on how safe I feel. 'One definition of what police should be doing is – [if] something [is] happening which does not feel right, someone ought to do something about it.' He added: 'For me, the smell of cannabis around communities, it feels like a sign of crime and disorder.' The call for action comes after figures on Sunday revealed that three in four people caught with the drug last year were let off with an informal warning or community resolution. In the year to September 2024, 68,513 people were found in possession of cannabis, but only 17,000 were charged, according to data released under Freedom of Information laws. Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan has called for the decriminalisation of possession when it involves small amounts of the drug. But recently judges have warned that cannabis is 'not a benign drug' after a series of horrific cases, including a samurai sword rampage in Hainault, east London, where a schoolboy was killed and four others seriously injured by a drug-crazed Brazilian who had a £100-a-day habit. The head of Merseyside Police said of cannabis: 'The public should absolutely expect us to take positive action around those things and hold us to account over it. 'We have to work with our communities, it's no longer good enough to inflict priorities on them, we have to hear their voices and make them part of the problem-solving.' In Greater Manchester, Sir Stephen tells his officers not to ignore the 'little things' that make people feel unsafe. 'This is the so-called lower level stuff, but actually it really isn't lower level stuff in the sense that this is where the public take their cues as to how safe or otherwise they feel, and how effective or otherwise is policing,' he said. Sir Stephen revealed a new 'executive leadership programme' was teaching future chief constables that they don't just need business skills and political acumen. He said: 'We are seeking to equip people, not just to deal with a critical incident which takes on national significance and has the potential to damage trust and confidence in policing, but also to recognise that on day-to-day watch, some of the stuff at the basic end of the market absolutely has to be done. 'The public aren't going to give us top marks for being brilliant at investigating murder alone. They expect us to be a full-spectrum organisation and that is what we are seeking to inspire in those who come forward for this course.' He added: 'We are very acutely aware that we are in a foot race for public confidence at the moment and there is a lot of concern at its lowest, and perhaps visceral criticism at its highest, where there is a gap between what the public expect of the police and what they are getting.'
The Independent
7 days ago
- The Independent
Police chief vows ‘relentless' pursuit of grooming gangs
A police chief has promised to go after child rapists and paedophiles 'relentlessly' after decades of failures over grooming gangs. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson also said those who failed victims in the past 'should face justice like anyone else'. Mr Watson was speaking after a press conference in response to a report by police watchdogs which was largely positive about GMP's turnaround in tackling the gangs. The report also said the force is now investigating more than 1,000 grooming gang suspects. Mr Watson said: 'To those who are responsible for these repugnant crimes – as is now very apparent – we will pursue you relentlessly.' The chief constable also said the role ethnicity plays in grooming gang offending is a 'legitimate question' and may be explored in a future national inquiry. Asked if prosecutions should follow if the inquiry shows officials failed to act, Mr Watson said: 'It is my hope that where people do bear an accountability, that they should legitimately answer for their decisions and if the determination is that they are somehow culpable then of course they should face justice like anyone else.' GMP has made 'significant improvements' in how it investigates group-based sexual exploitation of children, or grooming gangs, and other types of child sexual abuse offences, according to the report by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services. The 76-page report looks at the current and ongoing way grooming gangs and other child sex offences are handled by the police, health bodies and the 10 councils in Greater Manchester. It said police have live investigations into 'multi-victim, multi-offender' child sexual exploitation inquiries, involving 714 victims and survivors, and 1,099 suspects. Michelle Skeer, His Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary, said: 'We found that since 2019, when Greater Manchester Police started to review its non-recent child sexual exploitation investigations, the force has improved its understanding and approach to investigating allegations of child criminal and sexual exploitation. 'It is clear that the force has, for many years, been trying to provide a better service to those who have or may have experienced sexual exploitation. 'But for some, trust and confidence in the police had been lost, and the force would not be able to rectify their experiences. 'It is vital that improvements are led by victims' experiences, and if they do come forward, they are supported, protected and taken seriously.' The report from inspectors found Sir Stephen and other senior officers make sure all ranks understand child protection is a priority, it said, with he or deputy chief constables having personally spoken to every supervisor in the force about it. The report states: 'Officers told us that, due to a cultural shift in Greater Manchester Police, investigating child sexual exploitation is now considered 'everyone's business'.' Grooming gangs also 'feature heavily' in chief officer meetings, with performance monitored closely, the report said. GMP is the only force in the country to set up a dedicated team to investigate grooming gangs, which it did in 2021, now called the Child Sexual Exploitation Major Investigation Team (CSE MIT), with around 100 staff and a ring-fenced budget. The force also approaches child sexual exploitation as it does serious and organised crime gangs, using specialist tactics. In October 2024, the force told inspectors there were 59 live multi-victim, multi-offender child sexual exploitation investigations, of which 13 were being managed by the CSE MIT. In these active investigations, there were 714 victims and survivors, and 1,099 suspects. The force has also recorded demographic data, such as the age, sex and ethnicity of potential victims and suspects, and uses 'intelligence products' to produce 'problem profiles' to detail emerging threats and risks. A recent report by Baroness Casey found a significant over-representation of Asian men who are suspects in grooming gangs in Greater Manchester, adding though authorities are in 'denial' more needs to be done to understand why this is the case. Inspectors also said the force is aware of 'training gaps' in some investigation teams and that some victims had been let down in the way their case was handled. The report also pointed to issues with data sharing, with local councils sometimes not willing to provide detectives with information, leading to 'significant delays in investigations' into grooming gangs. It cites problems with intelligence provided by Manchester City Council, which took months to arrive and 'was so heavily redacted that some pages contained only a few words', the report said. Nevertheless, so far the CSE MIT and the earlier grooming gang investigations have resulted in 42 convictions and more than 430 years' imprisonment for offenders. Investigations are ongoing and several more trials are scheduled. The report adds: 'The force fully accepts that it made mistakes in the past. 'It has taken positive and effective steps to learn from these mistakes and improve how it investigates recent and non-recent child sexual exploitation.' Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: 'I am confident in my view that the Greater Manchester system is in a demonstrably different and far stronger place today than it was when the failings happened. 'The effect of the assurance review I commissioned has been to usher in widespread culture change across all GM bodies. Never again will any child here be labelled or dismissed when they come forward to report concerns. 'Now the national inquiry is being put in place, we must allow victims the space and the right climate to have their voices heard, allow the actual truth to be established and accountability delivered.'
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Police chief vows ‘relentless' pursuit of grooming gangs
A police chief has promised to go after child rapists and paedophiles 'relentlessly' after decades of failures over grooming gangs. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson also said those who failed victims in the past 'should face justice like anyone else'. Mr Watson was speaking after a press conference in response to a report by police watchdogs which was largely positive about GMP's turnaround in tackling the gangs. The report also said the force is now investigating more than 1,000 grooming gang suspects. Mr Watson said: 'To those who are responsible for these repugnant crimes – as is now very apparent – we will pursue you relentlessly.' The chief constable also said the role ethnicity plays in grooming gang offending is a 'legitimate question' and may be explored in a future national inquiry. Asked if prosecutions should follow if the inquiry shows officials failed to act, Mr Watson said: 'It is my hope that where people do bear an accountability, that they should legitimately answer for their decisions and if the determination is that they are somehow culpable then of course they should face justice like anyone else.' We have published our inspection of @gmpolice and its safeguarding partners' approach to investigating allegations of child criminal and sexual exploitation. We found that the force has improved how it investigates child sexual exploitation but must address gaps in training. — HMICFRS (@HMICFRS) July 3, 2025 GMP has made 'significant improvements' in how it investigates group-based sexual exploitation of children, or grooming gangs, and other types of child sexual abuse offences, according to the report by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services. The 76-page report looks at the current and ongoing way grooming gangs and other child sex offences are handled by the police, health bodies and the 10 councils in Greater Manchester. It said police have live investigations into 'multi-victim, multi-offender' child sexual exploitation inquiries, involving 714 victims and survivors, and 1,099 suspects. Michelle Skeer, His Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary, said: 'We found that since 2019, when Greater Manchester Police started to review its non-recent child sexual exploitation investigations, the force has improved its understanding and approach to investigating allegations of child criminal and sexual exploitation. 'It is clear that the force has, for many years, been trying to provide a better service to those who have or may have experienced sexual exploitation. 'But for some, trust and confidence in the police had been lost, and the force would not be able to rectify their experiences. 'It is vital that improvements are led by victims' experiences, and if they do come forward, they are supported, protected and taken seriously.' The report from inspectors found Sir Stephen and other senior officers make sure all ranks understand child protection is a priority, it said, with he or deputy chief constables having personally spoken to every supervisor in the force about it. The report states: 'Officers told us that, due to a cultural shift in Greater Manchester Police, investigating child sexual exploitation is now considered 'everyone's business'.' Grooming gangs also 'feature heavily' in chief officer meetings, with performance monitored closely, the report said. GMP is the only force in the country to set up a dedicated team to investigate grooming gangs, which it did in 2021, now called the Child Sexual Exploitation Major Investigation Team (CSE MIT), with around 100 staff and a ring-fenced budget. The force also approaches child sexual exploitation as it does serious and organised crime gangs, using specialist tactics. In October 2024, the force told inspectors there were 59 live multi-victim, multi-offender child sexual exploitation investigations, of which 13 were being managed by the CSE MIT. In these active investigations, there were 714 victims and survivors, and 1,099 suspects. The force has also recorded demographic data, such as the age, sex and ethnicity of potential victims and suspects, and uses 'intelligence products' to produce 'problem profiles' to detail emerging threats and risks. A recent report by Baroness Casey found a significant over-representation of Asian men who are suspects in grooming gangs in Greater Manchester, adding though authorities are in 'denial' more needs to be done to understand why this is the case. Inspectors also said the force is aware of 'training gaps' in some investigation teams and that some victims had been let down in the way their case was handled. The report also pointed to issues with data sharing, with local councils sometimes not willing to provide detectives with information, leading to 'significant delays in investigations' into grooming gangs. It cites problems with intelligence provided by Manchester City Council, which took months to arrive and 'was so heavily redacted that some pages contained only a few words', the report said. Nevertheless, so far the CSE MIT and the earlier grooming gang investigations have resulted in 42 convictions and more than 430 years' imprisonment for offenders. Investigations are ongoing and several more trials are scheduled. The report adds: 'The force fully accepts that it made mistakes in the past. 'It has taken positive and effective steps to learn from these mistakes and improve how it investigates recent and non-recent child sexual exploitation.' Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: 'I am confident in my view that the Greater Manchester system is in a demonstrably different and far stronger place today than it was when the failings happened. 'The effect of the assurance review I commissioned has been to usher in widespread culture change across all GM bodies. Never again will any child here be labelled or dismissed when they come forward to report concerns. 'Now the national inquiry is being put in place, we must allow victims the space and the right climate to have their voices heard, allow the actual truth to be established and accountability delivered.'
