Britain’s policing minister has rejected a watchdog’s suggestion that police officers should use “discretion” when handling shoplifters stealing food out of desperation amid soaring cost of living.
In an interview with The Guardian, Andy Cooke, the new chief inspector of constabulary, said that there will “invariably” be a rise in crime “whenever you see an increase in the cost of living or whenever you see more people dropping into poverty.”
Giving his advice on how police should deal with the challenge, Cooke said: “What they’ve got to bear in mind is what is the best thing for the community, and that individual, in the way they deal with those issue. And I certainly fully support police officers using their discretion—and they need to use discretion more often.”…