Opinion

U.K. Can Learn From Bratton

Says Times of London executive editor.

Bill Bratton, former police commissioner for Boston, New York, and Los Angeles, has a lot to teach Britain, writes Daniel Finkelstein, executive editor of the Times of London. There’s been some backlash against Prime Minister David Cameron’s hiring of Bratton as his new crime adviser, but Finkelstein says the American’s three-part crime-fighting strategy could save Britain, which saw one of its worst breakdowns in law and order last week. Bratton’s emphasis on quality-of-life issues created the impression that neighborhoods were orderly places, which discouraged crime, while his attention to social science helped police deal with the roots of crime. Finally, Bratton’s pioneering approach to data collection helped police better understand what they were doing and hold themselves accountable. “Surely this is the time to listen to people like Bill Bratton,” writes Finkelstein.