The police system in England and Wales cannot cope against sophisticated modern criminals without urgent reform, the head of the Metropolitan Police has said. In a speech on Friday, Sir Mark Rowley argued the system was "heading for failure" without change.
No, it’s not heading there, it arrived quite a while ago, and before you took over, so why haven’t you grabbed the steering wheel and turned it around?
He is proposing eight to 10 regional police forces, supported by hundreds of local policing commands and a new national force, in what would be the biggest overhaul of policing since the 1960s.The changes would replace the 43-force structure with three tiers: local teams dealing with neighbourhood issues, regional forces sharing specialist resources and a National Police Service tackling the most serious crimes.
Oh, I see, because you want it to crash!
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood produced a white paper that aligned with their ideas and asked the former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lord Hogan-Howe to look at what the force boundaries might be. But everything changed in July when Andy Burnham became prime minister. So far, Burnham has not spoken publicly about the plans, and the police chiefs are nervous that they may not have his backing.
A sensible man would be nervous if they had the backing of this utter fool, but not you, eh, Rowley?
We want our police to be more effective at dealing with crime... but I suspect a 'national organization' will very quickly be captured (even more) by the careerists and vast amounts of policing effort will be redirected at organisational musical chairs and jurisdiction arguments.
ReplyDeleteHe only need to look at Police Scotland to see the "Success of amalgamation".
ReplyDeleteWhy do they always have some establishment stooge review these things? You want someone from outside with a fresh perspective and no preconceived ideas.
ReplyDeleteOh, hang on, I guess it's a rhetorical question...
Anything recommended by that idiot Hogan - Howe is doomed to fail. In a strong field of hated Commissioners he would take the gold medal
ReplyDeleteJaded
If you're going to have regional police forces, then the most suitable areas to cover would be, well, the regions. In the last round of consultations 20 years ago I was cautiously supportive of a Yorkshire Police Force, but some regions don't have an internal consistancy to make sense. Joining Cumbria and Greater Manchester makes no sense. An East Anglia police area does.
ReplyDeleteAs has already happened in the reorganisation of county Police forces, the local teams will be taken off local issues, and 'temporarily' attached to major crime units, where they will stay.
ReplyDeleteEach town, and some villages, had Police stations or offices. Three shifts a day, nights, lates, and earlies, covered by 4 rotas, which allowed rest days. Foot patrols backed up by local motor patrols were the order of the day. Then 'experts' decided to change all this. Police stations were closed, foot patrols were taken up with the introduction of PCSOs, who seem to spend inclement weather on anti shoplifting patrols in shopping centres, and have very few powers anyway. Police officers are only seen in patrol cars zapping by on blue lights and sirens, or walking back to their offices in council buildings, holding containers of the latest flavoured coffee. Reports or allegations are often met with "It's a civil matter" unless it's hurty words. I am sure there are some good coppers out there, but they are often tied by the latest policy decision sent down by the same 'experts'. I'm ashamed to say that this is a sad reflection of how I see a profession I was proud to have served in for over 20 years.
Penseivat