Policing UK 2013 - Police Federation

THE POLICE REFORM PROGRAMME
Who do you envisage being
members?
The new professional body will have a
board of governors, which will comprise
of people independent of policing
and also representatives of all parts of
policing. It will be for them to determine
who will become members.
However, I believe in the first instance
it would be sensible to create a body that
attracts all serving police officers with
warranted powers holding the Office
of Constable together with members of
police staff who undertake operational
responsibilities and those who have
recognised professional qualifications.
Over time it would be for the
professional body itself – once established
– to have a debate about wider
membership.
ill police officers hae to pa to
become members of the body?
This is quite simply a matter for the body
itself once established, and all officers
of all ranks will be represented on the
board that will make that decision. I
don’t anticipate a situation in the near
future where police officers will have to
contribute to become members.
If we are serious about wanting to
create this new body, we have got to give
it the best possible chance to succeed
from the outset. Understandably within
the rank and file of the service at the
moment, there is a good deal of anxiety
about the pace of police reform, and we
have to be able to reassure police officers
that it doesn’t compromise the Office of
Constable, the operational independence
of chief constables, nor does it require a
certificate to practice.
For those reasons, I think it would be a
huge mistake to even consider charging
police officers at the outset for being
members of this body.
How will it be funded?
It will be funded out of a combination
of residual Home Office funding from
the NPIA and contributions from police
forces. Our policing model is admired
and recognised worldwide and I believe
there is a huge potential to generate
income from international police training
“This is a body that will set and maintain
world-leading standards and seek to
continually improve the way in which
we recruit, train and develop officers.”
using the experience and credibility of
our police leaders and practitioners,
coupled with the knowledge and research
of the best of our universities.
How do you generate and increase
interest from police officers in the
professional body?
Why wouldn’t anyone proud to be a
police officer and holding the Office of
Constable want to be a member of a
professional body – one that would be the
first of its kind in the world
This is a body that will set and
maintain world-leading standards and
seek to continually improve the way
in which we recruit, train and develop
officers and other policing professionals,
enhancing their education and
professional development to enable them
to deliver the finest policing service in
the world.
It is right that we identify evidence of
what works in policing and share that
good practice across the country. Surely
we want to celebrate and promote the
value of what effective policing can bring
to society It is also about being able to
share with each other our culture and
history of policing, which sadly gets
overlooked by many both within and
outside policing.
Is there a risk that creating a
professional body will create an
academic-only police service?
There is a genuine concern and risk that,
if not properly thought through, the body
could result in a service of ‘essay writing
cops’ as referred to by Peter Neyroud
in his Review of Police Leadership and
Training in 2011.
Look at the example of nursing where
there is a belief that professionalising
nursing has reduced the level of time
and care nurses can give to patients. So
there is that risk, but we ought to be able
to learn from the experience of other
professions.
I don’t accept arguments about ‘white
collar’ and ‘blue collar’ workers and the
police service reportedly being too ‘blue
collar’. Operational experience and
competence are critical to raising public
understanding and confidence about
what we do – including our own self
confidence.
This, together with appropriate
academic support, will ensure everything
we do is to a high standard. Policing
policies in the future should be based
primarily on evidence and not rhetoric.
And not only what works, but also what
will be affordable as there will be no
blank cheque in future.
What do you see the professional
body looking like in 10 years’ time?
Policing is in its infancy, especially when
compared with some more established
professions such as the law, medicine,
science and engineering. We have only
been around in our current form since
1829.
We have to look beyond the here
and now, have confidence in the Office
of Constable and develop policing for
future centuries and generations. I would
envisage a body that evolves to gain a
worldwide reputation for excellence in
policing, of which all police officers will
be proud and aspire to be part of. And
we should look to other professions and
have the ambition to gain the Royal
Charter.
Derek Barnett was interviewed by
Royston Martis.
POLICING UK | 33