Don't turn police into social workers, says minister A report backed by the Labour party risks turning police officers into social workers, a minister has warned. Damian Green, the Conservative's policing minister, criticised last week's independent report by Lord Stevens, the former head of the Metropolitan Police, which recommended setting out the "social mission" of the police. Lord Stevens, who led the two-year review commissioned by Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, said police were "not simply crime fighters" and should have a "civic purpose." But Mr Green said: "What most worried me about it was the suggestion that police need to do community work. I want the police to be out there preventing crime and catching criminals, and not acting as community workers. What has happened in the past is they have sent too much time chairing liaison committees with local councils and not enough time out on the street stopping criminals. Speaking at a policing conference in central London, Mr Green added: "If we diffuse the focus of what they do then we end up being confused. Police officers have an important job to do, and social workers have an important job to do - but they are different jobs. Ed Miliband, the Labour leader last week described Lord Stevens" report as "the first step in setting a new direction for policing in the 21st century." Lord Stevens" inquiry acknowledged criminals are escaping justice and the public now regard the police as "sadly deteriorated." He warned that officers are "beating a retreat from the beat" and called for a return to neighbourhood policing and a commitment to set appropriate response times for 999 calls.