Police ‘anger’ at supercop plan

Police officers are angry at the prime minister’s decision to seek advice from US “supercop” Bill Bratton in the wake of the riots, the Police Federation has said.

Ian Hanson, chairman of Greater Manchester Police Federation, urged Mr Cameron to listen to those who “live and police the communities affected” rather than “someone who lives 5,000 miles away”.

Mr Bratton, a former New York police commissioner who is to advise the Government in the wake of rioting across England, believes crime-fighting solutions that have worked in America, such as recruiting more police from ethnic minorites, can also work in the UK.

Mr Hanson, whose force tackled hundreds of rioters in Manchester city centre and Salford on Tuesday night, said it was “absolutely incredible” that the Prime Minister had asked for the American’s advice.

He said: “There is anger, there is disappointment, a degree of incredulity as well.

He needs to speak to us, not someone who lives 5,000 miles away. Ian Hanson

“We’re local people who live in the communities, who work in the communities and police them. He needs to speak to us, not someone who lives 5,000 miles away.”

Mr Hanson said there were not enough police officers at the start of this week’s riots because the Government has cut police numbers, adding: “One thing that Bill Bratton did when he took over in New York in 1994, was he increased the establishment of New York City police by 5,000 officers.

“How an earth are we going to replicate that with cuts approaching 30,000 police officers?”

Read more - FactCheck: Have riots put police front line on the back foot?

Mr Bratton, 63, left Los Angeles police in 2009 after significantly lowering the crime rate. Before that, he was head of the New York Police Department where, in his first two years at the helm, reports of serious crime dropped by 27 per cent.

Asked about his meeting with Mr Cameron next month, Mr Bratton said: “We can definitely take some of the lessons here and apply them there.”

Mr Hanson spoke out after Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg played down reports of bad feeling between the Government and senior officers in the aftermath of the riots.

The police themselves have said they want to review what happened and look at tactics and learn lessons. Nick Clegg

Mr Clegg said: “There is no rift between the police and the Government, we fully support the police 100 per cent. They have done a brilliant job in really difficult circumstances.

“The police themselves have said they want to review what happened and look at tactics and learn lessons.”

The Prime Minister also played down tensions after senior officers hit back at criticism of their response to the crisis.

Acting Metropolitan Police Commissioner Tim Godwin complained of negative comments from people who “weren’t there” when the violence began – a presumed reference to politicians like Mr Cameron, who were on holiday.

Osborne defends police cuts

The Chancellor, George Osborne, signalled the Government’s determination to press ahead with cuts to police budgets, saying: “We are committed to the plan we have set out for police reform,” and insisting that a 20 per cent real-terms budget cut need not reduce “visible” policing.

Mr Osborne added: “This is not just about police budgets; this is about a far bigger challenge for our society, which is dealing with people who we have ignored for too long and helping them feel they have a stake in society.”

Labour leader Ed Miliband renewed his call for a public inquiry into the riots and looting as he visited those affected by the disorder in Hackney, east London.