Put words into action

THE new Home Secretary spent his day clearing up the mess caused by a previous Home Secretary who is now his boss.

When in the post Theresa May cut police numbers and then lectured the rank and file for moaning about the consequences.

She ignored warnings that axing 20,000 officers would make it harder to keep the streets safe and would damage morale.

Yesterday Sajid Javid tried to repair relations with the Police Federation.

His speech could be read as a lengthy charge sheet against the PM. He accepted cuts had gone too far, that violent crime is on the rise and officers feel undervalued.

And he cited the experience of his brother, a Chief Superintendant in the West Midlands, to show he knew the pressures of the job.

We are accustomed to Tory ministers praising the dedication of our teachers, nurses, firefighters and police. But public servants who have weathered eight years of austerity deserve better than platitudes.

Mr Javid will be judged on his pledge to deliver extra funding to a far too thin blue line.