Some Educational Consequences of Police Reform in the United Kingdom
| Author | Pat Beagle,Alan Marlow |
| Date | 01 October 1996 |
| Published date | 01 October 1996 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X9606900406 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
ALAN MARLOW
Senior Development Fellow, Dept
of
Professional Social Studies,
University
of
Luton, UK; former ChiefSuperintendent, Bedfordshire
Police
PAT BEAGLE
PrincipalResearch Fellow; former Head
of
Community
and
Mental
Health Care, University
of
Luton
SOME EDUCATIONAL
CONSEQUENCES OF POLICE
REFORM IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
Introduction
Many years ago, when the Conservative Party achieved power, there was
apopular assumption amongst their potential supporters that all that was
necessary for the control of crime was for policing to be increased,
penalties toughened, liberal "do-gooders" to be ignored and all would
be well.
The Conservatives were not slow to identify the vote-winning
potential of an identification with such notions. Indeed, they seemed to
share and perpetuate simple notions of the relationship between policing,
"strong but effective" criminal justice and a reduction in crime. Vigorous
enforcement and strong sanctions were what was needed. Their 1979
manifesto declared that first, they would spend more money fighting
crime whilst economizing elsewhere. Second, they would improve the
pay and conditions of the police. Third, the police would be relieved of
many non-crime fighting duties. Fourth, provision would be made for
more effective sentencing (Downes and Morgan, 1994).
The Conservative governments that followed were to be astonishingly
radical. Within the ethos of free market entrepreneuralism the government
hoped to promote, the criminal justice system was to provide the
boundaries of acceptable behaviour. The police service's importance as
abulwark was underlined in the inner city disturbances of 1981 and the
1984/85 miners' strike. It is perhaps understandable that the police
became known as "Margaret Thatcher's favourite service". Whilst other
public services were rigorously and vigorously restructured and reformed,
the police seemed to remain sacrosanct, enjoying steady growth and
automatic pay uprating.
In respect of law and order, the Conservative government lived up
to its manifesto promises. Expenditure on the criminal justice service,
in real terms, has doubled since 1979 (Benyon, 1994). The number of
police staff, both regular and civilian, increased. Technological and
technical support proliferated. The relatively generous pay settlements
and the decreasing demand for labour in the economy as a whole meant
October 1996 The Police Journal 311
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