'I'll seize your granny's flat' - Wigan's new police chief sends stern message to 'hardcore baddies'
Wigan's new police chief has warned criminals that she will confiscate their assets as she promised to crackdown on crime in the borough. Chief Superintendent Emily Higham, of Greater Manchester Police (GMP), was appointed as Wigan’s district commander as part of a major shake-up of the force's senior leadership by Chief Constable Stephen Watson.Ch Supt Higham, whose career has spanned 30 years, said: "There are those that are out there raping and pillaging people, walking around carrying knives and involved in organised crimes.“For those hardcore baddies? We'll get your belly against my counter, because that’s what it’s about.“We are going to target you, we are going to arrest you, we are going to make sure that you are on our radar.“I’m gonna seize all your assets, I’m gonna seize your granny’s flat and your mum’s car and I’m going to come and target you because you are a blight on the communities.”Ch Supt Higham was the first female Detective Chief Inspector and Superintendent in the Serious and Organised Crime Unit; the first female Chief Superintendent within the Operational Communications Branch; and the first female head of the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit.
In April 2019, she was awarded the British Association for Women in Policing (BAWP) Lifetime Achievement Award for her work.
She now has the task of restoring the frayed relationship between the public and GMP after the force was placed in special measures in December 2020.Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) published a damning report exposing its failures around recording crime and protecting vulnerable people.And another report deemed the force was putting the public at risk.Ch Supt Higham said: “We’ve got to rebuild the trust and confidence in the communities, we are a force in special measures and it’s been well publicised that we haven’t been picking up the phone, reporting the right number of crimes or getting to people in a timely manner.“If you do ring Wigan police we’ll get to you in a timely manner and we will offer you an appointment, we’re trying to go to victim-led policing.”