Kit Malthouse says police watchdog’s suggestion that cost of living will trigger more crime is ‘old-fashioned’
The policing minister, Kit Malthouse, has disputed the suggestion of the chief inspector of constabulary, Andy Cooke, that the cost of living crisis will trigger an increase in crime, branding it “old-fashioned” thinking.
As inflation hit a 40-year high of 9%, Cooke said on Wednesday that officers should use their “discretion” when deciding whether to prosecute people who steal in order to eat.
