Sajid Javid: I'll be your crime stopper - new Home Secretary unveils sweeping blueprint for cutting violent crime

Sajid Javid made a dramatic pledge today to fight for more police funding as he unveiled a sweeping blueprint for cutting violent crime.

In his first major speech since taking office last month, the Home Secretary said he was “absolutely determined” to end the “appalling violence that is terminating young lives far too soon”, and he accepted that officers needed more money to tackle rising demand.

Mr Javid also declared his support for more use of stop and search, saying that the tactic “has to be right” if it helped to save lives, and vowed to give officers the powers, equipment and the backing they needed to “get the job done”.

The Home Secretary’s comments came in a deeply personal address to the Police Federation in which he described how his brother Bas, a serving chief superintendent with West Midlands police, had been assaulted multiple times and racially abused during his 25-year career.

Mr Javid said his brother had been “hospitalised more times than I know from being assaulted on duty”, missed Christmas one year because his jaw had been dislocated, and had been described as a “Paki bastard”, all of which illustrated how “hard and horrible” policing could be.

He also paid tribute to officers killed on duty in the past year, as well as those who served during tragedies such as the Grenfell Tower fire and the terror attacks in London and Manchester.

His most significant comments were on the need for more police funding after years of declining spending, with further reductions still to come.

Until now, the Government has rebuffed claims that reductions have contributed to the rise in violent crime — which has seen more than 65 people killed in London so far this year — blaming other factors such as social media and the impact of organised drug gangs.

In his speech, Mr Javid set the stage for a fight with Chancellor Philip Hammond as he told the conference in Birmingham that he accepted that more money was needed. “I get that there’s increased demand,” he said. “More crimes — like hate crimes and sexual offences — are being reported than ever before. There’s also been a recent increase in serious violent crimes, including homicides, knife and gun crime.

“I am absolutely determined to put an end to the appalling violence that is terminating young lives far too soon. The threat from terrorism has also escalated and evolved. And crime is increasingly taking place online.

“So I want you to have the resources you need. Since 2010, we have prioritised strengthening the economy and this involves making some difficult funding decisions.

“I recognise that we need to prioritise public investment in policing. So, my pledge to you is this: I will prioritise police funding in the spending review next year.”

Mr Javid said that he was also concerned that some officers felt uncomfortable while carrying out stop and search but that he backed their professional judgment when using the tactic. He said: “Let me be clear. I support the use of stop and search. You have to do your job and that means protecting everyone.

“Evidence shows that if you’re black, you’re more likely to be a homicide victim than any other ethnic group. If stop and search can mean saving lives from the communities most affected, then that has to be right.”

The Home Secretary said that he had developed a personal motivation for supporting the police while growing up in Bristol on what was described by a local newspaper as “Britain’s most dangerous street”.

He joked that he had “a confession” that he had been in a gang. He told the conference: “When I was younger, I was in a gang. A gang of two. It involved me and my brother. I was 11, he was nine. We were called The Crime Stoppers.

“Our mission: find crime and stop it. Our equipment: two knackered old bikes and two walkie-talkies. And a passion to fight crime on Britain’s most dangerous street.

“Years later, that brother is still a crime stopper, only this time, for real — as a chief superintendent — having started as a Pc some 25 years ago.” Mr Javid added: “I’ve been told I’m the first Home Secretary with a police officer in my immediate family … I’ve seen the impact the job has on family life. And as you would expect from a brother, he doesn’t shield me from the truth.

“Long before I was a politician, he took me out on a ride-along in the back of his police car in Bristol city centre. But I wasn’t prepared for the abuse he and his colleague received: teenagers giving them the middle finger, swearing and spitting. And worst of all, as his car approached the lights and slowed one teenager leaned over and yelled at my brother ‘You Paki bastard’.

“That was the first time it really hit me just how hard and horrible it can be being a police officer.”

The Home Secretary’s supportive tone and backing for higher funding represents an attempt to reset the Government’s relationship with rank-and-file officers after years of tension.

Theresa May was heckled over spending cuts when she spoke to the Police Federation as home secretary in 2012 and caused further anger three years later when she accused the organisation of “crying wolf” and “scaremongering” about the impact of lower funding.

Mrs May also dismayed officers by criticising their use of stop and search and ordering a big reduction in the use of the tactic.

Police funding cuts have also soured relations. The Met, which this year will receive about £2.5 billion, has made £600 million of savings since 2011 and is due to prune another £300 million from its budget in the next few years. Officer numbers have dropped below 30,000 as a result, about 2,000 lower than the Met’s manpower over much of the past decade. Met Commissioner Cressida Dick said last week that she was “sure” that the reduction in police finances was one factor behind the surge in violent crime.

Mr Javid’s support for increased funding is certain to be welcomed, although it could lead to conflict within the Cabinet, as he and other ministers fight for resources.