We all know what’s going on. You pay for your train ticket, walk through the barrier, and then someone forces their way through behind you. Nobody stops them. You look around, half-expecting a member of staff to do something, but the offender has already disappeared down the escalator. Gone.
In moments like these, we might not be frightened, but we’re all annoyed. Irritated. Angry. And the question going through all of our minds is perfectly reasonable: why am I being mugged off for following the rules?
It’s the same for the shopkeeper who reports a thief for the third time. He doesn’t need a lecture about the “root causes” of criminality. He wants to know the thief won’t come back. He wants the thief caught and punished. We all do. Except apparently the Conservative party, who told the police not to bother investigating thefts below £200.
Calling this sort of thing “low-level crime” is convenient for politicians. But I’m not a politician. I’m a crimefighter. A manhunter. I’m the former Detective Chief Inspector for the Metropolitan Police who led the investigation into Milly Dowler’s murder. I locked up serial killer Levi Bellfield, and serial rapist Delroy Grant.
But, some of the cases I am most proud of are those that people don’t know about. The thefts, the muggings, the drug dealing. The so-called petty crime, that gnaws away at society and neighbourhoods.
Every crime matters. Every indignity matters. And as Reform UK’s Policing and Crime Advisor, it is my number one priority to bring not just everyday safety back to British streets, but to ensure we fix our broken institutions, and end two-tier policing.
No more having to watch your back. No more getting mugged off.
Our S.A.F.E. plan, which we’re launching today, commits us to tackling all crime, big or small. Local and national.
We’re prioritising your Safety with a massive expansion of stop-and-search powers and 30,000 more officers on the street. We’ll come down hard on Anti-social disorder, banning balaclavas and on nuisances like illegal e-bikes. We’re intent on having Functioning institutions, ending early release for serious criminals and ensuring that our brave police officers are protected from woke outfits like the College of Policing. We will doggedly pursue Equal enforcement; DEI will be ripped out of British policing.
Protecting people must come first. Serious violence, sexual offences, and criminals who prey on vulnerable victims require painstaking investigation and properly-equipped specialist police.
It is a scandal that only one in ten sexual offences results in a conviction. And what happens in those handful of cases which result in a conviction? Too often plastic sentences. Take the pedophilic men who view and send child pornography. Of those convicted on this basis, fewer than 1 in 5 will see the inside of a prison cell.
At the same time, British neighbourhoods and high streets up and down our country have been left to criminal gangs because in this day and age, it’s deemed easier or simpler just to let it all fester. There seems to be no interest in tackling the persistent harassment, especially of women, in our communities. Things like vandalism and threatening behaviour go totally unassailed but they create misery for people every single day. It’s not on. It’s not the country we want to live in.
The distinction between serious crime and everyday disorder matters operationally. But one can’t be abandoned in pursuit of the other.
Making the machinery of all of this work against the criminals is not glamorous. But it’s critical and often ignored.
People need to feel like they know what’s being investigated, why, and what the process is going to look like. The idea that someone comes and takes a statement and then you never hear from them again is just insulting for everyone. And it’s a waste of time.
Where there’s no realistic prospect of identifying an offender, an honest explanation is better than a reference number presented as though it were a result in and of itself. It is unacceptable that over two million crimes go unsolved each year. Two million victims without answers. Two million criminals who escaped justice.
Equal enforcement is what holds the whole thing together. It’s part of the social contract of our nation. Over the last five years, as law and order has collapsed, the police have found time to arrest over 60,000 for speech offences. This is a stain in itself, but also indicative of the warped priorities of British policing.
Punishments for real crimes matter. But if you’re going to get tough in rhetoric, you’ve got to match that in prison capacity and broader infrastructure. We’ve all watched local police stations close at the same time successive governments have tried to pretend they’re “getting tough.” People can see through such empty claims. And critically, so can criminals.
Reform UK has a plan. The S.A.F.E. plan. The practical and common sense answers, led by people who have a track record of success in bringing even the most hardened criminals to justice.
The people following the rules have kept their side of the bargain. It is time for the government to keep theirs. And that starts on day one of a Reform UK administration.
Reform UK Just Unveiled Anti-Woke Plan That Would ‘Tear Up’ DEI Policing
Reform UK has unveiled a major law-and-order plan promising to remove diversity, equality and inclusion policies from British policing, recruit 30,000 additional police officers and take a tougher approach to crime and antisocial behaviour.
The proposals, announced in October 2026 under the party’s S.A.F.E. plan, put Nigel Farage’s party at the centre of an increasingly heated debate about police priorities, equal treatment under the law and the role of diversity initiatives in public institutions.
Reform says its approach would put public safety first and ensure that officers concentrate on investigating crime rather than meeting diversity-related targets. The party wants to abolish the College of Policing in its current form, remove DEI modules from police training and prohibit race action plans. It also proposes abolishing structures that it believes exist primarily to promote equality of outcomes. <Cite refs={[“turn277213search0″,”turn277213search10”]} />
Supporters argue that the proposals would restore public confidence and make policing more focused on crime prevention and enforcement.
Critics, however, warn that removing existing equality frameworks could weaken efforts to identify discrimination, improve relations between police and minority communities, and ensure that people receive fair treatment.
The announcement therefore raises a fundamental question: how can Britain ensure that police officers treat everyone equally while also addressing evidence of unequal experiences and outcomes?
Reform promises a major change in policing
The centrepiece of the S.A.F.E. plan is a pledge to recruit 30,000 additional police officers. Reform says the expansion would provide a stronger visible police presence, improve responses to crime and help communities affected by persistent antisocial behaviour.
The party has also proposed guaranteed foot patrols in areas experiencing recurring disorder, expanded stop-and-search powers in crime hotspots, a ban on balaclavas and stronger action against illegal e-bikes.
Its wider programme includes restoring short prison sentences, introducing fast-track courts for repeat offenders and creating 12,000 additional prison places. Reform argues that police enforcement must be supported by a criminal justice system capable of processing cases and imposing meaningful punishments.
The party’s policing and crime adviser, Colin Sutton, a former detective chief inspector known for his work on serious criminal investigations, has presented the programme as an attempt to address both serious offences and the everyday crime that can make people feel unsafe.
Reform argues that shoplifting, vandalism, threatening behaviour and repeated harassment should not be dismissed simply because individual incidents may be less serious than violent crime.
This emphasis reflects a wider public debate about whether police forces have sufficient resources to investigate reported offences and maintain a visible presence in neighbourhoods.
However, the proposed recruitment expansion would require substantial funding, training capacity and time. Recruiting 30,000 officers would not automatically mean that every community received more patrols, and the practical results would depend on where officers were deployed and how the wider criminal justice system operated.
Why DEI has become a central issue
Diversity, equality and inclusion policies are used by organisations to examine how their practices affect people from different backgrounds. In policing, these initiatives can include training, recruitment measures, race action plans and efforts to improve relationships with communities that have historically experienced discrimination.
Reform believes some of these arrangements have become excessive and risk diverting attention from crime prevention. Its plan would remove DEI-related training modules and prohibit race action plans, while seeking to replace what it calls identity-based approaches with a system focused on equal enforcement.
Farage’s party has argued that every individual should be treated according to the law, rather than according to their ethnicity or other personal characteristics.
That principle is widely recognised as central to the rule of law. The disagreement concerns whether existing equality initiatives undermine impartiality, as Reform claims, or help police forces identify and correct unfair treatment.
Supporters of race action plans argue that monitoring outcomes can reveal problems that would otherwise remain hidden. They say that ensuring equal treatment may require examining whether different groups experience policing differently, rather than assuming that formally identical procedures always produce fair results.
The debate is particularly sensitive because public trust is essential to effective policing. Victims and witnesses are more likely to cooperate when they believe that officers will take their concerns seriously and apply the law consistently.
Abolishing a programme does not, by itself, establish whether the problems it was designed to address have disappeared. Any replacement would need clear standards for impartiality, accountability and public confidence.
The Henry Nowak case intensified the debate
Questions about equality initiatives and police conduct have become more prominent following the death of Henry Nowak, an 18-year-old who was fatally stabbed in Southampton.
The handling of the incident prompted criticism after body-camera footage showed officers handcuffing the teenager while he was seriously injured. The case subsequently became a focus of political arguments over whether police had responded appropriately to competing accounts of what happened.
Reform used the incident to advance its argument that policing must be impartial and that allegations of racism should not distract officers from evidence of a serious crime. The party has also proposed an Equal Treatment Act that would prohibit police race action plans and DEI practices. <Cite refs={[“turn277213search1″,”turn277213news3”]} />
The case has attracted attention beyond Britain, including criticism from the Trump administration in the United States. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has rejected the broader claim that British policing operates on a system of preferential treatment based on ethnicity.
It is important to distinguish the documented circumstances of an individual case from wider conclusions about the entire police service. A serious failure by officers warrants investigation and accountability, but it does not automatically prove that every police force follows a discriminatory policy.
Likewise, the existence of equality initiatives does not guarantee that every individual will receive appropriate treatment.
The central task for investigators is to establish what happened, whether officers followed the applicable procedures and whether disciplinary or other action is justified by the evidence.
For Reform, the case has become an example of why it believes current arrangements need fundamental reform. For those defending equality initiatives, it highlights the importance of effective training, professional judgement and accountability.
A wider crackdown on crime
The anti-DEI proposals form only one part of Reform’s wider law-and-order programme.
The party says it wants police to investigate more offences, respond more consistently to victims and focus resources on people responsible for repeated criminal behaviour. Its plan also proposes changes to the Prevent counterterrorism programme, including a stronger focus on Islamist terrorism and automatic home searches in specified circumstances involving multiple referrals from separate authorities. <Cite refs={[“turn277213search0″,”turn277213search10”]} />
Those proposals would raise significant questions about safeguards, evidence thresholds and the proportionality of police powers. In particular, a rule requiring searches following referrals from several authorities would need to establish how those referrals were verified and what protections existed against mistaken or malicious allegations.
The party also wants changes to sentencing and prison capacity. These measures are connected: more arrests and faster court proceedings can increase pressure on prisons unless sufficient places and rehabilitation arrangements are available.
Reform argues that enforcement must be backed by the resources necessary to make it effective. Its opponents may question whether the proposals can be funded at the scale promised or whether some changes could create additional legal and administrative difficulties.
A comprehensive assessment would therefore need to consider the entire criminal justice system, not only the number of officers recruited or the rules governing training.
What other parties say
Reform’s proposals have emerged amid competition between the major parties over crime, public safety and police accountability.
The Conservatives have also promised additional officers and tougher measures against offenders, while criticising the Government over its handling of crime and sentencing. The Labour Government, meanwhile, has announced its own changes to policing structures and neighbourhood enforcement.
The Home Office has said it is pursuing major reforms intended to improve policing standards and strengthen local neighbourhood teams. It has also committed to delivering 13,000 additional neighbourhood officers by 2029, according to its response to Reform’s announcement. <Cite refs={[“turn277213search10”]} />
The parties differ over how policing should be organised, which initiatives should be retained and how additional resources should be allocated. Reform wants a more extensive break with current equality arrangements, while its opponents argue that effective policing requires both strong enforcement and safeguards against discrimination.
These differences will matter if voters are asked to compare the parties’ programmes. The number of officers promised is one measure, but it is not the only one. Funding, recruitment timelines, training, local deployment and measurable outcomes are also important.
Can the plan restore public confidence?
Reform has presented the S.A.F.E. plan as a response to people who feel that everyday crime is not taken seriously enough and that police forces have lost sight of their primary responsibilities.
Its proposals are intended to provide a clear alternative: more officers, stronger enforcement and the removal of DEI policies that the party considers counterproductive.
Whether that approach improves public confidence will depend on its implementation. Police forces need enough personnel to investigate offences, but they also need effective leadership, reliable evidence, public cooperation and clear rules governing the use of their powers.
Removing diversity training could reduce administrative burdens if particular modules are unnecessary or poorly designed. But eliminating all mechanisms intended to identify unequal treatment could also make it harder to detect problems. The relevant question is which arrangements improve police performance, protect individual rights and maintain confidence across the population.
Similarly, expanded stop-and-search powers may be presented as a way to disrupt crime in high-risk areas, but their effectiveness and fairness would need to be evaluated using reliable data on outcomes, safeguards and community relations.
Reform’s announcement has placed these issues firmly in the political debate. The party is promising a substantial shift in the way policing is organised and the priorities officers are expected to follow.
The real test will be whether its proposals can deliver safer streets, more effective investigations and consistent treatment under the law, while maintaining the safeguards that protect the public from the misuse of police powers.