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| Police forces need to refocus on public service, not bring in new blood | Police forces need to refocus on public service, not bring in new blood |
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| Last year at I wrote at length about the problems besetting the North's police forces. Cumbria's chief constable was the subject of an investigation by the Independent Police Complains Commission (IPCC) into allegations of "serious" misconduct; Cleveland's police chief was dismissed for "gross" misconduct; and – perhaps the most high-profile of all – West Yorkshire's chief constable, Sir Norman Bettison, eventually resigned over persistent questions about his role in the South Yorkshire force's response to the Hillsborough disaster. | Last year at I wrote at length about the problems besetting the North's police forces. Cumbria's chief constable was the subject of an investigation by the Independent Police Complains Commission (IPCC) into allegations of "serious" misconduct; Cleveland's police chief was dismissed for "gross" misconduct; and – perhaps the most high-profile of all – West Yorkshire's chief constable, Sir Norman Bettison, eventually resigned over persistent questions about his role in the South Yorkshire force's response to the Hillsborough disaster. |
| Amid this backdrop – and faced with continuing arrests in the Met police's inquiry into corrupt payments by journalists to police officers, Operation Elvedon – the home secretary, Theresa May, on Thursday outlined a series of measures to improve public confidence in the police; still, in Andrew Rawnsley's words, the "last unreformed public service". | Amid this backdrop – and faced with continuing arrests in the Met police's inquiry into corrupt payments by journalists to police officers, Operation Elvedon – the home secretary, Theresa May, on Thursday outlined a series of measures to improve public confidence in the police; still, in Andrew Rawnsley's words, the "last unreformed public service". |
| Citing what she called "shocking" developments around police conduct relating to Hillsborough, the investigations of several chef officers and other damaging revelations, May announced a raft of measures: | Citing what she called "shocking" developments around police conduct relating to Hillsborough, the investigations of several chef officers and other damaging revelations, May announced a raft of measures: |
| • The IPCC will be be expanded to deal with all serious complaints against the police. According to the Home Office, last year the IPCC led investigations into only 130 of the 2,100 cases referred to it, with the remainder returned to individual police forces to investigate. Over the same period however, nearly a third of all internally investigated complaints against the police were found to have been mishandled at appeal. | • The IPCC will be be expanded to deal with all serious complaints against the police. According to the Home Office, last year the IPCC led investigations into only 130 of the 2,100 cases referred to it, with the remainder returned to individual police forces to investigate. Over the same period however, nearly a third of all internally investigated complaints against the police were found to have been mishandled at appeal. |
| • A national register will be established of chief officers' pay packages, gifts and hospitality, second jobs, and their contact with the media, in order to ensure much greater transparency. | • A national register will be established of chief officers' pay packages, gifts and hospitality, second jobs, and their contact with the media, in order to ensure much greater transparency. |
| • A new code of ethics for rank and file officers will be established, along with a national register of struck off police officers. | • A new code of ethics for rank and file officers will be established, along with a national register of struck off police officers. |
| • Improvements will be made to the way that officers are vetted. | • Improvements will be made to the way that officers are vetted. |
| While the IPCC itself welcomed the announcement, the shadow home secretary – and West Yorkshire MP – Yvette Cooper maintained Labour's call for the IPCC to be scrapped and replaced with a new body, together with a "new and coherent framework of standards and accountability for the police". | While the IPCC itself welcomed the announcement, the shadow home secretary – and West Yorkshire MP – Yvette Cooper maintained Labour's call for the IPCC to be scrapped and replaced with a new body, together with a "new and coherent framework of standards and accountability for the police". |
| But what of Northerners themselves? At the heart of the police service is the notion of policing by consent; consent provided by the people. With confidence rocked across the region, are the changes announced really what northern England is calling for? Over the weekend, we got a glimpse into what the North is saying, thanks to polling by YouGov for the Sunday Times. | But what of Northerners themselves? At the heart of the police service is the notion of policing by consent; consent provided by the people. With confidence rocked across the region, are the changes announced really what northern England is calling for? Over the weekend, we got a glimpse into what the North is saying, thanks to polling by YouGov for the Sunday Times. |
| Asked whether ethics and standards within the police over the past 10 years had got worse, improved or stayed the same, 34% of respondents across the region said they had got worse, with 16% saying that they'd had been no change since "the police always had low ethical standards and still do". | Asked whether ethics and standards within the police over the past 10 years had got worse, improved or stayed the same, 34% of respondents across the region said they had got worse, with 16% saying that they'd had been no change since "the police always had low ethical standards and still do". |
| Given the option of the government doing more to attract ethnic minority candidates into the police force, 39% said that ministers were already doing "too much" to attract such people compared to the 20% who argued more needed to be done in this direction. | Given the option of the government doing more to attract ethnic minority candidates into the police force, 39% said that ministers were already doing "too much" to attract such people compared to the 20% who argued more needed to be done in this direction. |
| With opinion divided on proposals from the government's adviser, Tom Winsor, for candidates from outside the police service to be fast tracked into senior roles, 54% disagreed with any idea of people from abroad filling senior policing vacancies. | With opinion divided on proposals from the government's adviser, Tom Winsor, for candidates from outside the police service to be fast tracked into senior roles, 54% disagreed with any idea of people from abroad filling senior policing vacancies. |
| The picture then? Northern England continues to be seriously concerned at what it perceives to be falling ethical standards in the police service but remains unconvinced by a number of the government's proposed reforms to bring in outside blood into the force. | The picture then? Northern England continues to be seriously concerned at what it perceives to be falling ethical standards in the police service but remains unconvinced by a number of the government's proposed reforms to bring in outside blood into the force. |
| While the home secretary's statement on Tuesday might have been a good start, the root of the problem is the need for a shift in mindset. One that ensures that those at the very top of our public services, be it the NHS or the police, recognise that they are running that very thing, a service for the public, one which the public itself pays for and which ultimately remains the boss. | While the home secretary's statement on Tuesday might have been a good start, the root of the problem is the need for a shift in mindset. One that ensures that those at the very top of our public services, be it the NHS or the police, recognise that they are running that very thing, a service for the public, one which the public itself pays for and which ultimately remains the boss. |
| With justice for the Hillsborough victims continuing to be pursued, the names of those who died would be well served by refocusing the police service on the day to day business of service the public and not hiding things from them. The ethic of public service needs to return to avoid our great state institutions, such as the police and health services, becoming just another profession. | With justice for the Hillsborough victims continuing to be pursued, the names of those who died would be well served by refocusing the police service on the day to day business of service the public and not hiding things from them. The ethic of public service needs to return to avoid our great state institutions, such as the police and health services, becoming just another profession. |
| Ed Jacobs is a political consultant at the Leeds based Public Affairs Company and devolution correspondent for the centre-left political and policy blog Left Foot Forward | Ed Jacobs is a political consultant at the Leeds based Public Affairs Company and devolution correspondent for the centre-left political and policy blog Left Foot Forward |
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