The Case Against ACPO - A Critical Look At The Association Of Chief Police Officers
coming months and it looks ACPO are hell bent on bolstering the ‘us & them’ rift between frontline police and public, created by successive governments. Convenient that they have the ear of the Home Office and that this document should be “leaked” to the press, when the front liners have no such channel.
It is ACPO that conveniently didn’t tell the Police Federation that they had done it. It was ACPO that met with the Police Federation and the Superintendents’ Association, pleading for unity to resist the Government’s plans for elected commissioners to replace police authorities – after they had submitted their plans. A small number of chief constables helped the ACPO president, Sir Hugh Orde, to write the document in a week, so that Sir Hugh could then dash off for his annual leave.
Paul McKeever, chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: "We are extremely disappointed that such an important paper has been leaked into the public domain, causing much anger and distress amongst police officers throughout England and Wales. While on first reading much in the paper is to be commended, there are many areas of very real concern which we strongly oppose and will seek to address on behalf of our members.
"While I do not believe this is the right way to do business, it is intrinsic that at a time of great uncertainty and constraint all policing bodies work together openly and transparently to ensure the future of policing in England and Wales is shaped by police officers, not individuals, for the benefit and safety of the public. We are currently in discussions with (ACPO president) Sir Hugh Orde and we hope that our concerns will be fully addressed on his return from annual leave."
For an indication of the front line reaction to the secretive, if not furtive release of this document click here.
HOW HAVE ACPO BETRAYED THE RANK AND FILE?
The manner in which this document has been leaked is far more deceitful and represents more of a betrayal than may first be supposed. It can be no coincidence that the document entered the public arena within hours of press coverage of "Rows over Bonuses" fed once again by ACPO.
The timelines spell out the story.
In 2002/3 David Blunkett, then Home Secretary, introduced to offer incentives for police performance. Five types of bonus were available, including extra payments for officers who show “professional competence” or carry out “demanding work”.
In January 2009, Heather Brooke, the reporter who broke the MP Expenses scandal, togther with Sean O'Neill, the crime editor at the Times, issued freedom of information requests of
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