. . .ENDs Tuesday 26th July 2011

A strange lull this week in the Police World following last week’s energising Police Federation of England & Wales (PFEW) Conference in Bournemouth.

The resounding political comment which will no doubt stick with the Home Secretary Theresa May and be taken away by her was when she was reminded by Paul McKeever Chair of PFEW “Where were you Home Secretary when the Police Budgets were being discussed because it seems you were absent without leave?” The argument related to other Secretaries of State such as Liam Fox who had successfully spoken in defence of his MOD and the back tracking of the NHS cuts.

It must be the administration period with letters being sent on to the relevant people mentioned and voted on during conference including Sir Hugh Orde and his team of ACPO Ltd. This was followed up by many of the 42 Police Services Federated ranks asking their Chief Officers to speak up and be heard!

Julie Nesbit’s Constables Chair of PFEW said “We Police with the consent of our communities and not a licence from ACPO!” This was seen by many as the continued death knell for the Association of Chief Police Officers and followed media articles announcing the financial difficulties of ACPO Ltd who were reported to be on the brink of bankruptcy. No one argues you have to have a Senior Management Team but have todays ACPO’s literally priced themselves out of the modern day market?

But then how would the Police Service survive the death of its leaders? Is it time for the defibrillator to be brought out and dusted down from the back office in an attempt to revive them?

The NPIA appears to be seen by many as a much better argument of Senior Management. After all they collectively organise the many front, middle and back office services which are integral to the modern day Police Service such as the many IT systems – the Police National Computer for one! They would have a much better overview of a modern service. This bizarrely is one organisation which faces the axe in the current threat of cuts?

You have to ask WHY the NPIA are being axed when they appear to do much much more for the Service and our communities than ACPO who face bankruptcy.

We move on to Mr Winsor who we found is earning just £300 a day for his reports part 1 and part 2 and start by giving a ‘well done’ to Sgt Nigel Tomsett for establishing this from a freedom of information request. Even more poignant when you consider the Home Secretary has delayed the publishing of part 2 until January 2012? Why the delay? Has part 2 been completed or is our Tom ‘claiming double time’? Even more bizarre that the Pay and Negotiating Board who negotiate the pay and conditions for Police Officers are being forced to negotiate part 1 of a 2 part report without the knowledge of what part 2 contains by Tuesday 26^th July 2011. A little like having seen a brand new Porsche for sale buying it for cash, arranging it to be delivered and a Mini turns up 6 months later!

Would you accept delivery or go back to part 1 where you saw and brought it?

There are great and serious worries not just for Police Officers but coming from communities fearing a crime rise. One delegate attempted to educate the Policing Minister that his area had indeed already had an increase. Attempted because the Policing Minister arrogantly argued that it was not the case! But you have to ask who would you believe, the Officer working in the area of increase or the Policing Minister? One thing is for sure and that’s that they both cannot be right.

Ian Rennie Secretary of PFEW summed it up for us with his statement “I don’t think you understand there’s only one thing you get from less . . . . and that’s less!!!” A simple equation but one we fear Government are not listening too from many directions.

Well where does all this miss mash leave us! 20% Cuts are an absolute outrage there is no doubt about it. It will affect our communities with crime rises which means more people hurt, more road accidents resulting in deaths, more rapists and murderers walking about on bail. Scaremongering we hear many Coalition MPs and ACPO ranks cry but do you want to run the risk? We know we wouldn’t!

Let’s have this Royal Commission into Policing which will serve to seek continuity in our Policing for at least the next 30 years. That’s how long ago the last one was!

Let’s see the status quo of Police Authorities continue but with much more community accessible consultation and not the alienated glass house it has become. Let’s pass on ACPO Ltd to the professional organisers the NPIA and allow our Chief Officers to actually run our Police Service free from bonuses as opposed to being at the beck and call of a statistically led Government and oh yes if you didn’t realise there are still targets which have to be met by rank & file Home Secretary despite you saying you have scrapped them.

There is now more spin from Government than there is from a modern day washing machine! The difference with our Police Service is that it’s trying to hang out the dripping washing of Government to Protect Our Police and Our communities.

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