This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/16/police-force-federation-bullying-bad-decision-making-plebgate

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Bullying and bad decision making – can we trust our police force? Bullying and bad decision making – can we trust our police force?
(35 minutes later)
A sobering question: can we trust the police? And it's one that assumes enhanced urgency after today's shining of a harsh light upon the Police Federation, the representative body for the rank and file.A sobering question: can we trust the police? And it's one that assumes enhanced urgency after today's shining of a harsh light upon the Police Federation, the representative body for the rank and file.
Policing is an idiosyncratic profession. It requires good judgment, it relies on trust, and as they operate within communities, the most junior officers go armed with the highest capacity to exercise discretion. These are people whose take on any given situation can affect people's lives. Are we receiving the service we are entitled to expect from the right people?Policing is an idiosyncratic profession. It requires good judgment, it relies on trust, and as they operate within communities, the most junior officers go armed with the highest capacity to exercise discretion. These are people whose take on any given situation can affect people's lives. Are we receiving the service we are entitled to expect from the right people?
The oath taken by each police officer is clear: they "declare and affirm" to serve "with fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality, upholding fundamental human rights and according equal respect to all people." But according to today's report by MPs on the home affairs committee, officers serving as representatives up and down the country have been involved in bullying on "a scale to rival any popular soap opera". They allege a lack of respect and tolerance, sustained and ongoing to the point that successive chairs of the organisation have found themselves "enmired in interminable, internecine power-struggles which would not have been out of place in a medieval court." The oath taken by each police officer is clear: they "declare and affirm" to serve "with fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality, upholding fundamental human rights and according equal respect to all people." But according to today's report by MPs on the home affairs committee, officers serving as representatives up and down the country have been involved in bullying on "a scale to rival any popular soap opera". They allege a lack of respect and tolerance, sustained and ongoing to the point that successive chairs of the organisation have found themselves "enmired in interminable, internecine power-struggles which would not have been out of place in a medieval court".
Extraordinary language from MPs struggling to describe an extraordinary situation. We know too well that workplaces can be riven by egos, aspirations and jealousies. But this matters outside the confines of Police Federation headquarters in Leatherhead because it chimes with the unease many people already feel about the behaviour and judgment of our police.Extraordinary language from MPs struggling to describe an extraordinary situation. We know too well that workplaces can be riven by egos, aspirations and jealousies. But this matters outside the confines of Police Federation headquarters in Leatherhead because it chimes with the unease many people already feel about the behaviour and judgment of our police.
Who isn't worried about the quality of decision making displayed each day in the deployment of stop and search, with black people six times as likely as white people to be stopped; and suggestions from the Equalities and Human Rights Commission that more than a quarter of the one million stops in 2013 may have been illegal? Even the home secretary approaches the issue with furrowed brow. Who isn't worried about the way police forces tackle sexual offences and interact with the vulnerable. Consider last year's revelation in this newspaper that 169 officers and support staff are under investigation for predatory sexual behaviour.Who isn't worried about the quality of decision making displayed each day in the deployment of stop and search, with black people six times as likely as white people to be stopped; and suggestions from the Equalities and Human Rights Commission that more than a quarter of the one million stops in 2013 may have been illegal? Even the home secretary approaches the issue with furrowed brow. Who isn't worried about the way police forces tackle sexual offences and interact with the vulnerable. Consider last year's revelation in this newspaper that 169 officers and support staff are under investigation for predatory sexual behaviour.
If decision making is the issue, what of the increasing use of electroshock Tasers, deployed on a record 10,000 occasions in 2013 against suspects in England and Wales and the subject of criticism from Amnesty International. Factor in what we now know about ill-judged police undercover operations and the still emerging horrors of the police operation after Hillsborough. Consider the broad sweep of questionable decision making. In Devon and Cornwall, the force has been obliged to create a temporary assistant chief constable position to deal with a backlog in the number of cases involving allegations of gross misconduct.If decision making is the issue, what of the increasing use of electroshock Tasers, deployed on a record 10,000 occasions in 2013 against suspects in England and Wales and the subject of criticism from Amnesty International. Factor in what we now know about ill-judged police undercover operations and the still emerging horrors of the police operation after Hillsborough. Consider the broad sweep of questionable decision making. In Devon and Cornwall, the force has been obliged to create a temporary assistant chief constable position to deal with a backlog in the number of cases involving allegations of gross misconduct.
All of this happens away from the snake pit of Police Federation headquarters. But one can worry legitimately about a common mindset. And here's the principal cause for concern: without respect and trust, the whole concept we cherish of policing by consent ceases to have meaning. We draw police officers from our communities, but as they take the oath they become role models for our communities. We should applaud those who uphold those standards – and the vast majority do – but we have a right to expect that those who lack the temperament to make good decisions are exposed and purged from their responsible positions. And it's fair to ask, if they can't treat each other with respect, is it likely they will be fair and wise guardians for the public? All of this happens away from the snake pit of Police Federation headquarters. But one can worry legitimately about a common mindset. And here's the principal cause for concern: without respect and trust, the whole concept we cherish of policing by consent ceases to have meaning. We draw police officers from our communities, but as they take the oath they become role models for our communities. We should applaud those who uphold those standards – and the vast majority do – but we have a right to expect that those who lack the temperament to make good decisions are exposed and purged from their positions of responsibility. And it's fair to ask, if they can't treat each other with respect, is it likely they will be fair and wise guardians for the public?