Britain needs to return to culture of deference towards police, in wake of Pc Andrew Harper death

Britain needs to return to the culture of deference towards the police that existed decades ago, a Government minister has said in the wake of the death of Pc Andrew Harper.

Kwasi Kwarteng, the energy minister, said levels of respect between figures of authority and civilians had dwindled over the last 20 years and that more needed to be done to "get back to the levels of deference that we saw in the past".

"This is a cultural issue. In terms of level of respect for police officers that's something which we have to reverse in terms of the decline but it's not something which can be done overnight," he said.

"I think we've seen over the last 10 - 20 years people being less respectful, not just policemen but out and around. People are saying we are in a more violent and disrespectful age.

"It'll take a while to get back to the levels of deference that we saw in the past.”

Mr  Kwarteng cited the Prime Minister’s pledge to put an extra 20,000 more police officers on the street over the next three years as a “good place to start” in terms of “reassuring the public”.

His comments come after 28-year-old Pc Harper died from multiple injuries after he was dragged hundreds of yards by a  vehicle after responding to a suspected burglary in Berkshire on Thursday night.

Last night police continued to question 10 male suspects, including a 13-year-old boy.

Pc Harper is the first officer to be killed on duty since March 2017, when unarmed Pc Keith Palmer was stabbed by Khalid Masood during the Westminster Bridge terror attack.

His death came after a police constable was run over by a suspected car thief in Birmingham last week.

It comes as the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, demanded a crackdown on criminals assaulting police officers, as figures showed the average jail term for the offence was just two months.

Ms Patel announced in the Sunday Telegraph that the Government was "accelerating plans" for a new police covenant designed to enshrine protections for officers, and said the Home Office was examining ways to better support the families of those injured or killed by criminals.

Mr Kwarteng added: “I think the circumstances of Andrew Harper's death were appalling and obviously people in the public and more widely are really worried about the nature of crime, the total disregard for police officers and other people and I think the Home Secretary’s got the right approach. I think we have to look at protecting our policemen and women who are at the frontline and I think the police covenant is a good idea.”

A fundraising page set up by Thames Valley Police Federation to support Pc Harper's widow, Lissie, and his family has raised more than £60,000 so far.

It reads: "We confront danger on a daily basis. We know there is a risk when we put on the uniform but we do so as we are proud to protect the public.

"Sadly on very rare and horrendous occasions a colleague makes the ultimate sacrifice. We will ensure that heroism is never forgotten."