Final plans are being made by Police Federation members and Staff Employees up and down the country for a rally in London tomorrow in response to a series of challenges to policing practice which have emerged over the last 2 years. The latest of these is the handiwork of Thomas Winsor, a lawyer and economic regulatory professional with 5 years experience as the rail regulator for the UK! In October 2010, he was appointed by Theresa May to carry out the first review of the pay and conditions of police officers and staff in England & Wales for over 30 years. He has no personal experience of policing and whilst this makes him an objective viewer, it also means that he may miss issues that someone with operational experience would understand intuitively. His two advisors were a Chief Constable who retired from policing 10 years ago! and a university academic.
As a candidate for the role of Police and Crime Commissioner I have been asked if I plan to attend the day of action and my honest answer is that I have a long-standing appointment to visit an organisation who work with very vulnerable people and I would not wish to imply that I was anything other than fully committed to their cause. That however does not excuse me from ignoring the actions of many who I hope to work with in the near future, assuming I am elected. I suspect that even if I was free on the day I would have stayed in Sussex, despite having some sympathy with the cause of officers who are planning to attend. Police Officers have a contract which includes a no strike agreement as a core component of their role and the onus is on the state to ensure that they are treated in a manner that respects this. I believe that the Government has failed in this miserably and I hope that they will take May 10th seriously and act to make clear their willingness to consult. If I was Sussex PCC today that is exactly what I would be pressing the Home Secretary for. Despite the current challenges, the contract between each Constable and the State is something that both sides should protect for the sake of all of us.
The need for a review and reform of policing seems to be widely accepted (including amongst many serving officers) and indeed many would have preferred to see a more robust commission on policing. Tom Winsor has worked hard to identify a number of issues and whilst many of his findings are not the conclusions I would have arrived at, they do offer a good starting point for dialogue between the Police and Government. Apart from the failure to adequately involve serving officers and staff as advisers to the review group, it is really dispiriting that the public presentation of Winsor 2 has appeared to suggest that the Government see it as a finished plan and not a starting point for a discussion. This has in turn led to a strong reaction by those who police our streets on a daily basis. The inability of the Federation and Superintendents Association to participate in the review process due to negotiations underway on Winsor 1 speaks clearly of the need for more time and greater involvement by all. The day of action highlights this.
The day after officers visit London is a date which should resonate with both Police Officers and Politicians alike. I hope they don’t forget its importance. The modern police force is usually seen as having its starting point in 1829 with the establishment of the Metropolitan Police by Robert Peel. The precursor to this were three Parliamentary Committees in 1822, 1818 and firstly in 1812. Although the 11th May 1812 is probably not directly connected to any of these Committees, I am certain it would have helped to focus the minds of Parliamentarians on the need for security for all. It was the date when Prime Minister Spencer Perceval was assassinated by John Bellingham in the lobby of the House of Commons.
Whatever the impact of the March on 10th May, I hope that all who attend and those who are the focus of their ire, will spend a few seconds on the following day, considering the impact of the death of Spencer Perceval. It is possible that without his death we would not have the Police force we do today. I believe we need to rescue success from the jaws of failure by using Friday to celebrate 200 years of joint endeavour by Politicians and Police to provide safety for all people and dedicate ourselves to improve what we have, not dismantle it. The real sufferers of any loss of focus by Politicians and Police will be typified by the people I am due to meet on 10th May. For them a call to the Police and Social Services often comes a long time after their pain first begins and not usually between the hours 9-5. We need a service which continues to protect these people and enhances their sense of confidence in all of us to deliver what they need when they do finally dial 999.
ianchisnall 