Too many police chiefs? - A review of police strength and costs in England & Wales 2010

BACKGROUND - POLICE CHIEFS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

It is not merely the “top heavy” numbers of senior officers and the burden of their salaries that give rise for concern. The conduct of some officers, either by their complicit involvement in or their condoning of a system where crime figures deceitfully manipulated for political and financial gain, results in similar levels of public distrust more recently reserved for politicians. A Labour government has encouraged dodgy data for political ends and coerced otherwise ethical public servants into unethical behaviour. Most of all, it stops the police giving the public the policing they want. There has been a notable shift with the last Government towards a more financially-oriented set of concerns about policing. Increasingly, they use financial and performance management and audit techniques to steer police services to achieve political ends.

Whilst frontline officers may be justly criticized on occasion for insensitivity, or worse, in the main, the cause of the problem lies elsewhere. Many Senior Police Chiefs are totally out of touch with the public and the front line officers. They have become adept at paying lip-service to what the public really want from their police service, then blame the same front liners when their latest schemes and fad projects fail to deliver. More time is spent telephoning members of the public to complete so called satisfaction questionnaires and then auditing the responses, than is spent delivering the service that is really needed.

At the most senior level, as we have reported previously, the police service fiddles crime and detection figures in the attempt to con the public that their force is performing well. Worse, along with the latest fad projects, they get the front line officers to implement their strategies. Chief Officers have, despite protestations to the contrary, shown themselves incapable of distancing themselves from political influence. The picture becomes somewhat seedy when Chief Officers are paid lucrative incentive bonuses to reflect decreases in crime and increasing offences brought to justice.

The proliferation of targeting and central Government control prevents Chief Constables from exerting influence where it really matters. Unable to direct policing strategy and improve the effectiveness of their officers, they focus on those relatively trivial issues and “pet projects” over which they do have discretion. There are numerous instances of Chief Constables’ micro-management. One such example is uniform. Each force determines the uniform components its officers wear; one Chief will veto tunics on the grounds that they are impractical and not waterproof, whilst another will ban fleeces for not being smart or traditional.

Senior officers are too heavily involved in politics

Whilst it is generally accepted that there is little outright corruption in the UK, there is evidence that senior police officers spend time trying to influence politics and politicians trying to alter police priorities. Decisions on policing strategy go through ACPO committees.

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