Manchester's top cop pledges 'we'll take your cars, cash and homes'

10 September 2021, 15:48

Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police Stephen Watson has pledged to overhaul the scandal-hit force.
Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police Stephen Watson has pledged to overhaul the scandal-hit force. Picture: Alamy

By Joe Cook

Manchester's new police chief has pledged a new approach to tackling crime, warning "too many criminals, frankly, are getting away with it".

Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police Stephen Watson pledged to overhaul the scandal-hit force in turnaround plans presented to Mayor Andy Burnham.

Criminals will face "dialled-up muscularity" from officers, CC Watson said, including "real ferocity" in tackling organised crime gangs.

"We will take your cars and we will take your cash and we will take your houses," he said.

Read more: Greater Manchester Police failed to record more than 80,000 crimes over a year

Read more: Woman arrested at Sarah Everard vigil calls on Cressida Dick to 'take her blindfold off'

Nick Ferrari grills Dame Cressida Dick on violent crime

The new top cop blamed "a failure of senior leadership" and a culture of "defeatism" at GMP for the poor performance of the force.

"Our people are fed up but they are not defeated," he added. "They are fed up of GMP being slapped about, because of our own poor performance."

In December the second largest force in England was put into special measures by police watchdogs following a damning report that revealed GMP had failed to record 80,000 crimes.

Read more: Cressida Dick given two-year extension as Met chief, despite backlash

Read more: Public 'fed up' of 'woke' policing, chief constable says

Men run for cover as gunman opens fire in Harlesden in Met Police CCTV footage

CC Watston's predecessor Ian Hopkins stepped down after Mr Burnham came under pressure to sack him.

The mayor said he and CC Watson had "faced up" to all the problems and pledged greater scrutiny and oversight of the force.

This will be a "new era" for GMP, he added, without the "defeatism" which he said had characterised the force for 20 years.

CC Watson has previously said people are "fed up" of virtue-signalling from police and that he "absolutely would not" take the knee in uniform, the only exceptions being for "the Queen, God, and Mrs Watson".

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Mohamed Mansour has been awarded a knighthood

Conservatives accused of 'cronyism' after donor who gave £5 million given knighthood in surprise honours list

Exclusive
Justin Welby recalled his experience of coping with his father's drinking as a teenager.

‘It was utterly isolating’: Archbishop of Canterbury recalls harrowing experience of growing up with his alcoholic father

More than 2 million drivers are set to hit the road on Good Friday.

Easter Carmageddon: Over two million drivers to hit the road on Good Friday after Storm Nelson travel chaos

Michael Gove has slammed the water firm as a 'disgrace'.

Thames Water bosses branded a ‘disgrace’ as Michael Gove tells firm ‘not to punish consumers’ for its failings

South Africa Bus Crash

Girl, 8, the sole survivor as 45 die in bus crash off South Africa bridge

A spokesman has denied reports the sausage dog could be banned.

The wurst news is over: Germany denies claims of sausage dog ban

Israel Palestinians Britain Aid

UN top court orders Israel to open more land crossings into Gaza

Greece Confidence Vote

Greece’s government survives no-confidence motion called over rail disaster

A council has had to apologise following the incident.

Fury as parents offered version of school class photo without complex needs pupils

Conjoined twin who shot to fame with sister on The Oprah Winfrey Show marries army veteran in private ceremony

Conjoined twin who shot to fame with sister on The Oprah Winfrey Show marries army veteran in private ceremony

Israel Palestinians UN Security Council

Russia ‘abolishes’ monitoring of sanctions on North Korea with UN veto

Firefighters at the scene of a bus crash in Limpopo

Bus falls from bridge in South Africa and erupts into flames, killing at least 45 and leaving child, 8, as lone survivor

Music-Green Day UN

Green Day to headline UN-backed global climate concert

Exclusive
Starmer has vowed to resurrect Boris Johnson's 'Levelling Up' policy

Failure to ‘level up’ Britain would be ‘catastrophic’, Wes Streeting admits, as Starmer vows to resurrect Johnson policy

Border Force staff will walk out from April 11

Hundreds of Border Force officers at Heathrow Airport to stage four-day strike

Stephen Bear was ordered to pay Ms Harrison £5,000.

Disgraced reality TV star Stephen Bear ordered to pay £27,000 over revenge porn conviction or face nine months in jail