US Politics | Cops catching vile paedo should have been a proud moment – how did they let woke madness make it a gender identity row?

CATCHING a vile paedophile who had abused children as young as six should have been a proud moment for Sussex Police. Its officers had worked tirelessly to put serial attacker John Stephen Dixon, who later changed his name to Sally Anne Dixon, behind bars for 20 years earlier this month. GettyCops catching a vile paedo who had abused children as young as six should have been a proud moment for police (stock picture) '/ ' Serial attacker John Stephen Dixon, who later changed his name to Sally Anne Dixon, was put behind bars for 20 years earlier this monthPA Instead the Sussex force has found itself caught up in an embarrassing row about gender identity. A few concerned citizens had commented on Twitter that it was wrong to describe Dixon as a "woman convicted of historic offences against children" when the offender had committed the terrible attacks when he was a male. Rather than letting people debate the issue freely, someone from Sussex Police decided to intervene. The force tweeted that it did not "tolerate any hateful comments" about someone's gender "regardless of crimes committed". Who would send a warning like that? Not a streetwise copper, that's for sure. It is the media department, often ­populated by university graduates, who send out such tweets. Thankfully, they have now been put in their place by the new Home Secretary Suella Braverman. She told the force to "focus on catching criminals, not policing pronouns". 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In the past decade detection rates for burglary have halved from ten per cent, which was rubbish, to five per cent which is double-rubbish. The most recent Home Office figures show only four per cent of thefts and six per cent of robberies result in anyone being charged. The opposite should be true. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH With 40 per cent of homes having CCTV or doorbell cameras, there is far more evidence available to detectives for them to catch thieves. But these days the police do little more than provide crime reference numbers so that victims can put in an insurance claim. The idea that they might examine the scene, calm the victim and catch the criminal has seemingly been forgotten. Instead they see police officers spending money on rainbow badges, skateboarding and defending paedophiles. The good news is that the Home Secretary is not alone in demanding a focus on putting offenders behind bars. The Metropolitan Police's recently installed commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said this week that he wanted his officers to attend all burglaries. At the moment, fewer than half of break-ins into London homes result in the police coming out to investigate. Similarly, His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Andy Cooke, has called for a rise in standards of detection across the country and criticised the national shortage of detectives. The message should soon filter down to the career-driven chief constables, who for the past two decades have believed that the best way to get promoted is by promoting political correctness. When I told one very senior officer that I disagreed with all this wokeism, they told me I should "blow with the wind". I told them I would never do that, but the good news for the public is that if the prevailing wind is blowing towards "let's catch more criminals" then career-driven officers will do it. What we need is for Sir Mark and the Home Secretary to go even further and return to the idea of zero-tolerance policing. At the moment, shoplifting has effectively been decriminalised, with the police not prosecuting anyone who has stolen less than a couple of hundred pounds worth of items. Antisocial behaviour, intimidation, drug-dealing and threats of violence are too often ignored. FEND FOR THEMSELVES It is a pathway to bigger crimes because if thieves get away with lower-level offences, they then think they can attempt more serious ones. Often it is the most vulnerable people in society, working-class ones without the time to voice their concerns at community policing events, who are left to fend for themselves against marauding gangs. Recent court cases also offer some hope that the era of woke policing is coming to an end. Last year, the Court of Appeal ruled it was wrong to record ex-police officer Harry Miller's views on trans issues as "hate incidents". We should not be arresting people for expressing political opinions, whatever they might be. Read More on The Sun TO DYE FOR I gave my couch a modern update using PAINT Sir Mark was right when he said this week that the police should remain impartial, whether 99 per cent of people support a cause or one per cent do. It is time to stop policing what people think and start policing criminal acts. @SuellaBravermanThe new Home Secretary Suella Braverman told Sussex Police to 'focus on catching criminals, not policing pronouns' '/ ' PANew Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley unveiled his plan for action this week '/ ' Doug Seeburg - The SunMick Neville is a former Detective Chief Inspector '/ '