Ex-Met detective warns it will take a generation to fix police: ‘Polluted with wokeness!’

He said these leaders lack experience and "don't have much merit with the front line troops".

"Senior policing has got to change its attitude and that might well take a generation, unfortunately," Bleksley added.

His comments come amid controversy over Essex Police's handling of an investigation into journalist Allison Pearson.

Essex Police has set up a "gold group" - typically reserved for major incidents like terror attacks - to handle its investigation into Pearson.

The Telegraph columnist was visited by officers on Remembrance Sunday regarding a social media post from November 2023.

The post in question allegedly involved Pearson mistaking a Pakistani political party flag for that of Hamas in a comment about police posing for photographs.

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Essex Police says it has body-worn video footage of the visit, and has lodged a complaint with press regulator Ipso over what it calls "large amounts of false reporting" about the probe.

The force maintains the investigation is being treated as a potential criminal matter under the Public Order Act.

The case has involved three of Britain's largest police forces since the initial complaint.

London's Metropolitan Police first received the report as a potential breach of the Malicious Communications Act.

It was then passed to Sussex Police, who marked it as both a possible non-crime hate incident and potential malicious communication.

The case was finally transferred to Essex Police, where Pearson lives.

A dispute has emerged over the classification, with Pearson claiming officers told her it was a "non-crime hate incident", while Essex Police insists it is being treated as a criminal matter.

The force has requested Pearson attend a voluntary interview, which she has indicated she will attend with legal representation.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp has called for police to focus on "genuine crime" rather than "policing thought" in light of the Pearson investigation.

Speaking to GB News, Philp said: "It is ridiculous that public figures, journalists, but actually members of the public as well are getting police attention for essentially expressing opinions."

He emphasised that police attention should only be given to matters with "a very high bar" where behaviour could lead to imminent criminality.

His comments echo Bleksley's concerns about police priorities, with the former detective noting that frontline officers would "rather be catching burglars" than following directives from senior leadership.