Policing UK 2013 - Police Federation

OVERVIEW
Policing 2013
An introduction by Sir Denis O’Connor
Sir Denis O’Connor
was Her Majesty’s
Chief Inspector of
Constabulary until
October 2012
The title commends us to look
forward, part way through the
largest reform of policing, in
England and Wales, in a generation.
Indeed, although the writings are
leavened by some welcome additions
on perennial problems of drugs and
gangs, the title could easily have been
Reform 2013.
We are not alone. Significant funding
and organisational changes are afoot
elsewhere in the world – and even within
the UK (see Nicholas Fyfe’s outline of
the contrasting Scottish approach, A
different trajectory?, on page 16). There is
no reliable horoscope for 2013; the one
certainty is that we cannot put the world
on pause.
This short volume, though not
comprehensive, is a timely stocktake on
the implications of the powerful package
of adaptations to funding, accountability
and national institutions in Britain. It is
designed to provoke wider consideration
and analysis of the issues raised by the
many perspectives provided by serving
and past police chiefs, commentators and
researchers.
For example, Timothy Brain, Policing
since 1964 (see page 10), positions this in
the context of political desire for change
in policing over the last 50 years. Other
writers point up the challenges and, to
a degree, the opportunities ahead either
for the package of reform as a whole or
in part.
Concerns
The writers raise more concerns than
answers on what is proposed. The
concerns include:
ambition, “very ambitious” (Peter
Neyroud, The latest reforms, page 14)
and yet others argue not ambitious
enough, “Politicians failing to
comprehend the forces that dominate
crime rates argue at the margins and
rearrange the furniture,” (Nick Ross,
Crime science, page 68);
implications for organisations and
relationships, for example the need
“We are not alone. Significant
funding and organisational
changes are afoot elsewhere in the
world – and even within the UK.”
6 | POLICING UK