British crime official loses wallet while giving speech on theft

The Guardian reported on September 12 that during Ms. Diana Johnson's speech at the annual conference of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Warwickshire (in the West Midlands region of England) on September 10, police informed that Ms. Johnson's wallet was stolen at the hotel where the conference was taking place.

The incident came as Ms Johnson spoke about towns and cities being hit by anti-social behaviour and burglary, saying the government “wants to restore respect for the law on Britain’s roads, including restoring respect for the police, which has sadly been eroded over many years”.

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Warwickshire Police said they were investigating a theft of a wallet and arrested a man on suspicion of theft, who was later released on bail. The Home Office also confirmed that Ms Johnson's wallet had been stolen.

Writing on social media X after the conference, Ms Johnson said she was happy to address the police, but did not mention the burglary. "We have a mission to tackle serious crime, anti-social behaviour and restore policing to our neighbourhoods. What I have seen in my short time in this role has given me more confidence that we will succeed," she wrote.

Johnson's Labour Party has pledged to crack down on crime, including recruiting 3,000 new police officers and 4,000 community support officers. However, the government has been criticised for releasing 1,700 prisoners earlier than planned, a move the Ministry of Justice said was aimed at reducing prison overcrowding.