Police have a crucial role to play in meeting the challenges of 21st century security, Home Secretary John Reid told police officers.
Speaking at the Police Federation annual conference in Blackpool, the outgoing Home Secretary highlighted how the Government and police have worked together to meet these challenges – with Neighbourhood Policing now introduced to police forces across England and Wales. <br><br>The Home Secretary said that the service would need to respond to the demands of the public, in terms of their expectations of the police and a criminal justice system that supports the rights of the victim. <br><br>Mr Reid announced new powers to be brought forward shortly in the Criminal Justice Bill. These include:<br><br>widening existing premises closure powers for the police to premises where there is persistent excessive noise, rowdy behaviour, or where residents threaten their neighbours round the clock; and <br><br>introducing Violent Offender Orders (VOOs) which will enable the courts to impose requirements on those convicted of violent offences who pose a high risk of harm. <br><br>The Home Secretary also announced, subject to final medical advice, his agreement to a trial extending the use of Taser to a wider pool of officers.<br><br>He also responded to reports that police were chasing minor misdemeanours at the expense of serious offenders, telling the audience that this was ‘hitting the target but missing the point’. <br><br>Mr Reid said: "The police service is facing unprecedented challenges and this Government is committed to providing them with the tools they need to meet the demands of modern policing. That is why I have today announced additional powers for the police and, subject to independent medical advice, a trial to extend the use of Taser to specially trained teams.<br><br>"Further to this, I am committed to cutting bureaucracy, improving the target mechanisms and engaging in debate on local accountability in order to support frontline officers to deliver a service that is respected locally and trusted nationally.<br><br>"It is a decision for Chief Constables and local Basic Command Unit commanders how targets are met, but let me be clear – in future government crime reduction and detection goals must provide a focus on serious crime, particularly the most serious violent crime, and not reward numbers for numbers sake."
In her speech, federation chairman Jan Berry welcomed the Home Secretary, to his second and final conference. She then launched into criticism of the Government and polticians in general: "For years we’ve policed using common-sense. This is now under serious threat. As a result of Government diktats the service has been reduced to a bureaucratic, target-chasing, points-obsessed arm of Whitehall; debasing what was once a sensible police service. There is no better example of the control-freakery that is eroding common-sense: than Penalty Notices for Disorder.
‘When PNDs were first mooted, we acknowledged that used properly, they could bring some benefits. But we were also absolutely adamant that PNDs, could never and would never, deliver a faster, more effective justice system on their own. A child who threw buns at a bus? A man who threw water over his girlfriend? And a man caught in possession of an egg … ‘with intent to throw.’
‘These are hardly weapons of mass destruction!
All these cases should have been dealt with by a quiet word and good old-fashioned common sense.
As we heard yesterday from Sergeant Sam Roberts, it is madness that an officer gets 30 points if he or she issues a penalty notice but only 20 for charging, and pursuing the case through the courts. Sam told us about an officer who arrested someone for shoplifting.
But rather than chase points and rather than follow what officers are pressured to do, the officer investigated further. It turned out that the offender had over 2500 TICs; his home an Aladdin’s cave of stolen property, not to mention a lucrative business selling it online.
How can we have a system that discourages police officers from investigating crimes properly; from doing what they know and believe is right, and encourages them to take short-cuts and issue PNDs like confetti?
‘Discretion has been at the heart of British policing since the days of Sir Robert Peel.
It is the very essence of policing by consent; of OUR relationship with the public and their relationship with US. The most astonishing thing is that these principles of policing by consent were born in Britain.
‘Right now, as I speak, there are literally hundreds of British police officers serving overseas – in Romania, Jordan, Jamaica – training forces to replicate our ethos and our values. But at the very same time, government ministers and Chief Officers are collaborating in their destruction.
She claimed that the police service is being dismantled, piece by piece, eroding the office of constable in the process: "My greatest fear is that when the failed experiment is over, and you’re busy writing your memoirs, it’ll be impossible to put the service back together again. What we need is some honesty about police reform. Chief officers are trying to pull the wool over the politicians’ and the publics’ eyes with flawed policies.
‘The chiefs call it modernisation. We call it fragmentation. The result is that the Government is presiding over the systematic deskilling of the entire police service. It’s time for the chiefs to stand up for what is right for a politically independent and impartial professional police service, best enshrined in the Office of Constable.
‘You will have noticed that Community Support Officers are helping with the security here today. We’ve never doubted their commitment.
But the Government has repeatedly assured us that CSOs would support – not supplant – police officers. I’m afraid we don’t believe you. What is clear is that CSO numbers have gone up and police numbers have gone down. And why? Because you can’t afford both. To add insult to injury, your announcement in December will lead to yet fewer police officers on the streets. The Crime Fighting Fund rules once protected police officer numbers. But now you’ve scrapped it, and the thin blue line is getting even thinner. Predictably, it’s not just us and the law-abiding public that understand the difference real police officers make. Yobs and criminals see right through CSOs, too. We’ve even had police officers dressing up in CSO uniforms
in order to stop yobs stop taking the Mickey – if I’m allowed to say that. The yobs goad CSOs because they know they have no powers. They know that without a police officer around they’re untouchable. When it comes to choosing between Community Support Officers and Police Officers, I know which I would choose – somebody with the training, skills and experience to exercise their discretion, whether that be through the power of persuasion or the power arrest.
The only person who can do both is a fully-sworn, attested police officer.
They are the best value for money.
‘The limited “review” to be conducted by Sir Ronnie Flannigan, will merely accelerate plans to de-skill the police service. And before you accuse me of exaggerating, this isn’t the first time ministers have ignored warnings from frontline officers. In the 80s, we championed the need for better safety equipment; in the 90s, we stressed the need for a visible police presence; in the new Millennium, we warned of the growing level two policing gap. All deeply unfashionable at the time. All accepted wisdom today.
‘But there remains an urgent need for a comprehensive, independent, and politically impartial examination of policing. That’s why we have repeatedly called for a Royal Commission. We’re not just asking for the sake of it. We need it to examine the function of the police service – a hard-headed look not a vague vision.
We need it to define the role of a constable.
We need it to take a holistic look at how we best tackle all forms of crime, from
anti-social behaviour to counter-terrorism. And we need to look at the funding.
She ended: ‘We’ll leave the politics to the politicians. But leave the policing to us.’
