Policing UK 2013 - Police Federation

THE ROLE OF POLICE
divisions in society in terms of the haves
and the have-nots as financial strictures
begin to bite. Some communities believe
themselves to be over-policed, such as the
disproportionalities in stop and search,
which it has been speculated played a
role in the civil disturbances of August
2011. As such they are withdrawing from
the concept of policing by consent which
underpins the model of British policing.
Latest reforms
Policing reforms being introduced by the
present government include:
Police and crime commissioners
directly elected by the public;
the phasing out of the Serious
Organised Crime Agency and the
creation of a new National Crime
Agency;
the abolition of the National Policing
Improvement Agency;
the repositioning of the Association
of Chief Police Officers as the
national organisation responsible for
providing the professional leadership
for the police service to be called the
College of Policing.
Tom Winsor’s report into police pay
and conditions presented far-reaching
proposals affecting remuneration of
officers and police staff (Winsor, 2012 2 ).
Among other recommendations, Winsor
argues for minimum entry qualifications
for joining the police, multiple point
entry and differential remunerations that
recognise the gaining of qualifications in
service, particularly challenging police
work and valued contributions made by
officers.
Thus the police service may be said
to be in a state of flux with the reforms
being work in progress; recommendations
from Winsor and Peter Neyroud’s
proposals concerning police leadership
(Neyroud, 2010 3 ) are still the subject
of discussion; and during the vacuum
created by transition, different models are
being adopted by forces in response to
the financial imperatives.
Lincolnshire Police has signed a
contract to transfer support staff to G4S
while Surrey Police is holding fire on its
private-public partnership arrangements.
The shape, premise and remit of the
new policing professional body remain
incomplete, although due to start life in
November 2012.
Given the scale and speed of change
and the volatility of the social, economic
and political climate, a review of police
and policing, which tries to take a big
picture perspective, and is at one remove
from those in the firing line, represents
a reflective intake of breath by some
critical friends.
Initiated by The Labour Party,
Lord Stevens was invited to set up an
Independent Commission to look at:
1. The challenges for policing in the 21st
century – what is the role of the police
and what is expected of the police?
2. How to deliver the workforce to best
equip the police to cut crime and increase
public confidence.
3. The police’s relationship with the
wider criminal justice system and the
agencies of the state.
4. Governance and accountability
– how to ensure the police are both
held to account, but unencumbered by
bureaucracy.
5. Striking the right balance between
the need for the police service to meet
both local and national priorities, and the
national structures to support that effort.
6. Management of resources and the
efficiencies to be found to get the most
out of police spending.
The work of the Commission is being
undertaken by a core team set up by
Lord Stevens and through an invited
“The economic climate is likely to
exacerbate the divisions in society in
terms of the haves and the have-nots
as financial strictures begin to bite.”
advisory panel of Commissioners from
across the political spectrum.
While not a Royal Commission such
as the 1960-62 Inquiry, the work being
undertaken adopts a similar methodology
ie, witness hearings, invited written
submissions and attitude surveys.
Assumptions
The Commission has made some basic
assumptions when considering the future
of policing in England and Wales. These
are:
1. A need to reconcile public demand for
police services and diminishing resources
in the foreseeable financial climate.
It is probable that demand may well
increase such that it itself will have to
be managed, possibly diverted to other
agencies, changing public expectations or
creating greater community engagement
and that the more limited resources are
triaged and focused to best effect.
2. The likely increase in social
fragmentation with greater differentials
in the distribution of personal wealth
with different social groups having
greater or lesser access to resources
such as information technology and
material goods. This may well result
in communities having different and
potentially contradictory demands of the
police.
3. Development of new and different
patterns of crime and disorder including:
social unrest;
cyber criminality;
greater significance of cross-border
and international reach of criminality.
This will have implications for the
sophistication and inter-operability
of police computing and intelligence
systems.
4. Continuation of greater diversity
and range of police partnerships
arrangements whether these be with:
other parts of the criminal justice
system;
other statutory agencies;
NGOs;
private sector;
other police forces;
other police jurisdictions.
This will require new ways of working
and again have inter-operability
implications.
5. Advances in science and technology
that will make new innovations possible
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