Suella Braverman has told police officers to focus on tackling crime rather than "debating gender on Twitter" as she called for a return to "good old fashioned policing".
The Home Secretary told a National Police Chiefs' Council conference in London this afternoon: "Our police officers’ time is precious and the public want the police to be tackling crime, not debating gender on Twitter.
"I have asked my officials to revisit the issue of non-crime hate incidents as a first step, as I want to be sure that we are allowing you to prioritise your time to deal with threats to people and their property."
Ms Braverman said that the way to "ensure public confidence in the police is to focus on getting the basics right" which means conducting "common sense policing".
"No politically correct distractions, just good old fashioned policing with a relentless focus on making our streets, homes and transport networks safer," she said.
