Home Secretary Suella Braverman tells cops to drop woke agenda and start doing their jobs

HOME Secretary Suella Braverman has told cops to drop woke “gestures” — and focus on crime.

The Cabinet minister has contacted all 43 forces in England and Wales to tell them to “get the basics right”.

It comes after cops in Lincoln were filmed dancing the Macarena at a Pride event, and a think-tank’s call for police to be barred from taking the knee or wearing campaign badges.

A recent poll also revealed four in ten voters believe the police are more concerned with being woke than solving crime.

Ms Braverman has written to chief constables and the National Police Chiefs’ Council to demand change.

She said: “It’s vital that trust is restored and to address this we must have visible and responsive policing.

“Unfortunately, there is a perception that the police have had to spend too much time on symbolic gestures than actually fighting criminals.

“This must change. Initiatives on diversity and inclusion should not take precedence over common-sense policing.”

She expects forces to cut levels of crime and treat victims with the respect they deserve.

Ms Braverman, the former Attorney General, added: “The public have a right to expect that the police get the basics right — driving down anti-social behaviour and neighbourhood crime which can so easily rip through our communities.

“To put it simply, the public want to know that an officer will visit them after a crime such as burglary.

“They want to feel safe in their cities, towns and villages.”