The bluntness of the departing Merseyside police chief Andy Cooke was refreshing. Reducing inequality would help reduce law-breaking
‘Andy Cooke’s argument for increased spending on poverty reduction clearly places him among policing’s progressives.’ Photograph: Christian Smith/Merseyside Police/PA
‘Andy Cooke’s argument for increased spending on poverty reduction clearly places him among policing’s progressives.’ Photograph: Christian Smith/Merseyside Police/PA
Thu 22 Apr 2021 13.55 EDT
Last modified on Thu 22 Apr 2021 15.00 EDT
“Why do people get involved in crime and serious crime? It’s because the opportunities to make money elsewhere aren’t there for them.” Such opinions are frequently derided as the fancies of a liberal left disconnected from the impact of law-breaking on victims’ lives. But these are the words of a departing police chief not known for his softness. Andy Cooke, who is leaving Merseyside for a job with the Inspectorate of Constabulary, ran a gangs unit; his force was an energetic user of stop and search. But if he was given a budget of £5bn to tackle crime, he told the Guardian, he would spend £4bn of it on reducing poverty and “levelling up”.