Commentary
| Published date | 01 January 1999 |
| Date | 01 January 1999 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0032258X9907200101 |
| Subject Matter | Commentary |
The
POLICE
JOURNr.J.
COMMENTARY
After 30 years' police service, a friend faced the prospect of retirement. He was
proud of what he had achieved in thattime. He had dealt with serious offences, had
brought criminals to justice, and had seen sights that most members of the public will
never witness in a lifetime. He is a caring man who joined the police to serve others
and in so doing he really cared about what others think of him and the service to
which he belonged. He represents thousands of men and women the world over who
carry out the complicated job of being police officers. It was as he walked away from
the service that I began toask myself questions: "How did thisindividual make such
a success of his career? If he was starting his career today, what else would he need
do?" The latter question forced me to makemy Millennium predictions a little early.
First and foremost, he always accepted that he was responsible for his own
actions and for those of his staff. He was clearabout that and, as a result, those who
worked for him were left in no doubt as to what they should and could do.
Performance standards were spelled out, monitored, and if individuals fell below
standard, then they soon knew it. He embraced what we now know as performance
management in a very practical way. Butthat process of defining what is expected
will become more and more difficult for my friend's successors. The old established
routine, that the police officer was society's means of preventing and detecting
crime, has been overtaken by a new orthodoxy which defines that the police have to
work in partnerships if they are to have any chance of achieving those ends. The
outcome of policing - the social result - will be far more difficult to define, let alone
predict or measure. If various agencies are to work together, then each will have to
be clear on the part each will play in tackling problems.
If
that clarity is absent, it
will be all too easy to point a finger in the opposite direction and say, "It's not my
fault!"
My friend had a second quality, which I believe will be essential as we move into
the future. He has an open mind and looks for the problem, not a pet solution. He
learned his job by working with skilled practitioners and what he learned has enabled
him to be a respected police officer. But will that approach alone be enough? It is my
belief that officers of all ranks will additionally have to develop a far greater
understanding of why they police. Consultation with communities becomes so much
easier at this point, as do decisions on priorities and the use of resources. Once the
"why?" is addressed, the appropriate means of policing - the "how" - can better be
defined. If police officers are to really understand the "why?" question, then they will
have to become more professional by having clearly defined academic, vocational
and ethical standards. Only then can they argue from a position of strength with
multi-agency partners, politicians, the public and their own colleagues.
It is those ethical standards that my friend has always had in abundance. But he
will be the first to tell you that some of hiscolleagues have let him down. In the UK
we are currently facing up to the results of a judicial inquiry into the police
investigation of the racially motivated murder of a black teenager named Stephen
Lawrence in South London. The findings are likely to have enormous repercussions
for the future of race relations in the country, let alonethe police response to racism
both within society at large and within its own ranks. The values and behaviours of
the police when working in a plural, multiracial society should be above reproach
and need to set a benchmark against which others may judge themselves. Now the
achievement of those ends is a challenge for the people who follow my friend into
positions of authority. I feel certain that my friend would address these challenges if
he were 30 years younger and starting again. I trust that the next generation will do
the same, thus allowing my friend to receive his pension in the certain knowledge
that he lives in a safe community.
January 1999 The Police Journal 1
To continue reading
Request your trial