THOUGHTS ON POLICING

Give him an inch and he'll take an ell (mile).  An old adage but one as true as when it was first coined in the 16^th century.  An organisation which exemplifies this message more than most is the police. RIPA was not considered controversial when it was promulgated over a decade ago.  Perhaps the draftsmen in those days of Tony Blair`s a “new day; a new law”  period were unable or uncaring of the fine print.  Be that as it may its use has taken it into corners of our life where it has no business.  “Freedom of the press”  passes off the tongues of many in government as a token response as further restrictions are being placed in the way of free expression when privacy loses the battle with security or the public`s right to know.  To be fair many right thinking people of influence are content to sit on this most uncomfortable of fences but not police who wish to use RIPA`s provisions to silence free reporting.  This from an organisation which has been involved in so many hushed up scandals of varying degrees including murder and where senior officers` and Police and Crime Commissioners` misdemeanours or “errors of judgement”  make the headlines weekly.

Direct entry at Superintendent level was Tom Winsor`s idea to shake up complacency in current police levels of competence. The armed services` policy of officer direct entry subsequent to successful completion of  two years at Sandhurst or the Navy and RAF equivalents was held as an example.  The Police Superintendents` Association is not exactly in the vanguard of this initiative`s proponents.  Since its enthusiasm as reported above on March 3rd West Yorkshire has rejected every application and I understand the Met has also found none of the applicants met its requirements.  If ever a major public organisation needs a thorough overhaul this one fits the bill but I suppose that has been the case for decades and look where we are now.