The Government last month appointed a deputy chief constable from Cambridgeshire Police, Chris Balmer, as the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead for defending democracy. MPs reported 4,064 offences to the Metropolitan Police’s Parliamentary Liaison Team between 2019 and 2025 – with malicious communications, harassment, and criminal damage to a building the most commonly reported crimes, the outlets said. But, she said, it was “not just a political issue”, as she pointed to headlines on rising retail crime. She added: “We’ve got a really privileged job and we’ve got important work to do, but I don’t want to spend my time as an MP talking about safety and security. And she criticised social media for the loss of nuanced debate and the spread of misinformation and disinformation.

Source: The Times April 03, 2026 12:47 UTC