Massive Reform of Policing Needed?

[Sheilbh]

Radical change needed to beat terrorism and organised crime, says Sir Hugh Orde


Sean O'Neill, Crime Editor

A wholesale review of the structure, purpose and future of policing is needed urgently, the leader of the country's police chief officers has told The Times.

Sir Hugh Orde, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), questioned if the policing set-up was fit for purpose in a world where the most dangerous threats came from international terrorism and cross-border organised crime.

Sir Hugh advocated radical reform of the 44 forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland by amalgamating them into regional units that could deal with high-level crime and local issues. His proposals could lead to the number of police forces being cut to as few as nine.

His intervention will focus attention on politicians of all parties who, he said, were virtually silent on the issue of police reform. "There is a lack of political leadership," said Sir Hugh, who addressed packed fringe meetings at all three main party conferences this autumn. "There is no political enthusiasm whatsoever to even raise this at a discussion level."

Sir Hugh, former Chief Constable of Northern Ireland and a policeman for 33 years, said that the political debate on policing had been "hijacked by the 'more cops on the street' brigade" which was fixated on "antisocial behaviour, dog fouling and bicycles on the pavement".

"They say the solution to everything is more cops on the street — well, no it isn't. Local cops don't catch serious terrorists, you don't catch serial rapists with neighbourhood police, murders are not solved by local police, although the local cop is a vital link in the chain . . .

"It is quite scary if people who are claiming to represent communities see the solution simply as more cops on the street while all the evidence shows that if you're a patrolling officer the chance of coming within half a mile of a burglary is about once every 150 years."

His call for a fundamental review echoes demands from other bodies, including the Police Federation, for a Royal Commission on the future of policing. Sir Hugh said: "The last Royal Commission sat in 1962. In 1962 international terrorism wasn't there, the [Northern Ireland] Troubles weren't there, I don't think Dixon of Dock Green was there — the world was a very different place.

"Logic suggests now might be a good time to ask if the structure is fit for purpose. We need an independent, thoughtful but not long-winded review of what is the best structure to deal with the current threats facing the UK at every level."

Proposals from the Government and the Opposition for police reform came in for criticism from Sir Hugh. He said that he expected a forthcoming Home Office White Paper to encourage collaboration between forces and voluntary mergers. Such moves would be "a second-best solution", leading to ad hoc arrangements and inconsistencies in policing, he said.

The Conservatives' plans for directly elected police commissioners were regarded by chief officers as "die-in-the-ditch territory". Sir Hugh said: "You can't have a democratic society where the police are controlled, or are even perceived to be controlled, by anyone in a political position."

British policing, he said, should continue to be founded on consent, minimum use of force, minimal interference in the lives of citizens and operational independence for chief officers. "I think the British brand of policing is a really important brand to protect. I have yet to find a model in which I would feel more comfortable as a citizen."

Reform of the service would be mirrored, Sir Hugh said, by changes within Acpo. The body has come in for criticism for a lack of transparency and for having direct involvement in operational policing despite being a limited company.

Sir Hugh said: "Acpo has developed over 100 years into a position where we are a limited company — something the public won't understand, because I don't understand it. It doesn't fit well with what is, in essence, a band of volunteers — chief constables and senior officers — coming together to try and drive some consistency around policy."

He said that the business of writing policies should be reined in and Acpo should produce fewer codes and manuals of the sort issued last week for police officers riding bicycles. Sir Hugh said: "Policing is partly science, mostly art — you can't over-codify it".

[Josquius]

Bicycles on the pavement is illegal?

Whats the status with police crossing county lines anyway? I thought they could do that to an extent these days....The Northumbria enclave in Newcastle is certainly not frequented by crooks these days anyway.