Well another busy week for our Police Service with ACPO ranks speaking freely to protect their or their organisations role would suggest so.

On Tuesday, the inquest jury concluded Mr Tomlinson had been unlawfully killed and that PC Simon Harwood had used “excessive and unreasonable force”.

CPS are considering a charge of Manslaughter whilst he faces a ‘Public’ hearing for an allegation of misconduct. Quite rare a ‘Public’ hearing! Infact brand new to the Metropolitan Police Service.

Senior Metropolitan Officers appear to be distancing themselves from any management on the day and indeed any policy and direction regarding Public Order! We wonder how much independance for a Constable there is during mass disorder when we are often reminded by ACPO that the Police Service is a Command and Control organisation? Wonder why it has taken an IPCC investigation, an inquest and now a review to reach the recent decisions and still only a Constable is taken to task? You would be forgiven to think that being a Command & Control organisation any offences would have been highlighted much earlier and at less cost than now!

But let’s see PC Harwood be fairly treated through the Criminal Justice system, after all even Police Officers are innocent until proven guilty.

We have our own views . . . BUT let’s hear YOURS.

It’s also amazing how the retired Met Police Commissioner’s, now of course sitting in the House of Lords so against Theresa May’s Policing Commissioners are voicing their concerns and efforts to change the Policing Reform Bill with a threat to their ever alienated colleagues and associated members?

It really is becoming a bun fight with the Association of Police Authorities and their members waking up to the real threat they too face redundancy within the next 18 months.

This is what we think.

Do we still need ACPO Plc? Don’t forget they cost over £2m a year to run and even then ask for donations from Police Authorities. One could be forgiven to think ACPO are paid twice for just doing their job! There are no plans to increase their membership subscriptions, which remain much lower than Federated ranks. Maybe the Federation should ask for increased donations from Police Authorities? Just imagine!

No the APA and Police Authorities are the way forward. They have now been embarrassed into submission that of course ‘they can do better’ They should now link in with the NPIA and drive through modernisation leaving ACPO as alienated as they have made themselves.

But where would that leave us with a Royal Commission into Policing then?

Well an increasing amount of MPs are now coming around to the idea. Leaving the 20% cuts behind, but only after having viewing the latest Federation advert of course, Police Services are amalgamating, restructures are taking place and they are becoming more efficient in the Service they provide but is it not time to really review where we are?   

There has been little Public Consultation over the past 30 years as to what Society wants from THEIR Police Service. Surely NOW is the most appropriate time when 20% cuts threaten the Service as we know it. A Service which is now so top heavy with civilian staff and CSO’s that it has become an ever strangulated hernia of policy and inflexibility in resource deployment. We are not against civilian staff and CSO’s of course but should their roles not now fall under the same code of governess as Police Officers after all they too are now entwined in the evidence chain!

A Royal Commission is now required to clarify this type of issue. Let’s have more of a say in what is happening to what is recognised as a blatantly important Public Service infact the very last line in defence before anarchy.

Society needs a chance of protecting the Office of Constable who, at the very heart of our communities staves off the real threat of anarchy on a daily basis hour by hour.

A Royal Commission would obviously cost there’s no doubt about that but surely the cost would be limited compared to 20% cuts this time oh plus the on-going annual ACPO reports, you know the ones that come out to allow those authors to vie for future HMIC or Home Office jobs!

There are of course ACPO ranks who do speak up in support of rank and file and the public but rather embarrassingly very few! Good on those that do!