Wigan’s new police chief has stern warning for ‘hardcore baddies’ saying she’ll seize their ‘nan’s flat’

Wigan’s no-nonsense new police chief has warned the town’s ‘hardcore baddies’ that she will confiscate their assets, ‘their granny’s flat’ and their ‘mums car’. 

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.

She is one of seven new district commanders appointed by GMP’s chief constable Stephen Watson, who is attempting to ‘turn the force around’ after a damning Watchdog report found that it had failed to properly record over 80,000 crimes. 

And Higham, who was born in Wigan, seems up to the challenge, having recently issued a stark warning to criminals in the town. She said: “There are those that are out there raping and pillaging people walking around carrying knives and involved with organised crime.

“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.”

Her warning continued: “I’m going to seize all your assets, I’m going to 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.”

And this attitude against criminals wasn’t born with her new role; in a previous interview, she said: “We have the privilege of the power of arrest – in other words, we lock bad asses up! And I want officers to look smart and have good manners when dealing with the public.”

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.

She said on the force’s up haul: “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.”