THE CHAIR ASKS
staff colleagues. We need a longer term, independent approach to pay settlements and to budgeting. The police funding formula also needs reform, especially as there is now a very large disparity and variation between forces on the level of central grant from the Home Office, and local taxation through the Police and Crime Commissioners.
SH: What is the NPCC position on PCCs and do you think that they are maintainable in their current form given the budget required for their combined offices is north of £100m since 2019? GS: The governance of policing is a matter for Parliament. What is important is that we maintain our operational independence. I have experienced work with the previous Police Authority arrangements, and with three different Police and Crime Commissioners in my time as a chief officer. I’ve also worked alongside a number of PCCs in my national work. There are pros and cons to all approaches, and I’m sure PCCs will also have a view on how well we work together as chief officers and the costs of that too! I don’t think there is a perfect solution, but there is a review of PCCs 10 years into the arrangements, and bearing in mind the level of savings forces are looking to make, I’m sure PCCs will be looking for efficiency savings in their arrangements too.
service they can. I’m doing my best to talk to anyone that will listen about the need for a long-term workforce plan that also includes our police staff colleagues and volunteers. We certainly need to retain the 20,000, but we also need not to lose any staff as a consequence of doing so. In future bids for funding and growth in numbers I’m trying to find a way to demonstrate that investment in policing leads to economic growth, which is badly needed to get out of the current cost of living crisis, so if anyone knows of any research on this, or has any bright ideas, please get in touch.
SH: What are your thoughts on the Casey Review and how will these be acted upon by the NPCC? GS: The Casey Review is a hugely important report which contains awful detail, personal stories and systemic failings. It needs to be grasped as an opportunity to make policing better
“The key issues raised in the Casey
SH: The Police Uplift programme has now ended. Do you think that the 20,000 additional police officers is enough and how do you see the recruitment numbers evolving in the future if we are to keep police figures where they are now, if we accept the govt numbers? GS: Over 275,000 people applied to join policing over the last four years, and over 46,000 joined. That tells me there are still lots of people with great public spirit who want to serve their communities and join our vocation. I joked to the previous Prime Minister – why stop at 20,000? Go to 30,000! It was only a half joke. We certainly need more capacity in policing to cope with how much community needs have grown over the last decade. I’m not a fan of talking about ‘demand on policing’, it is really about communities that need a service, either from us or other agencies, and I regularly hear from colleagues that they don’t have anywhere near the time they’d like available to give the best
everywhere. The key issues raised in the Casey Review are priorities for all chief officers, it is not just a London issue. I chair a national standards Gold Group, which is pulling together all the work, including what we are doing to tackle violence against women and girls, and the Police Race Action Plan. I do believe that this will lead to change that the public and our people can see and feel over the coming years, including more interrogation of intelligence about our own staff and stronger investigations, more internal reporting of concerns, higher satisfaction from victims or those who raise concerns, more assurance from independent bodies of the strength of our systems, and more confidence from our staff that toxic behaviour will be called out and dealt with. Falling public confidence is equally about our effectiveness in tackling crime and the issues that matter most to the public. Our efforts to lock up burglars is as important as giving communities confidence that we are improving vetting standards.
SH: The Social Market Foundation report, published in March, states that police officer pay has fallen 17% in real terms since 2000. Do you feel police officers are
fairly remunerated? What would you like to see from the Government in response to the report? Is there a view of the NPCC regarding employment rights for their police officers and will it be discussed in light of the 17% deficit in police pay? GS: We are working hard with PFEW, PSA, Chief Police Officers Staff Association (CPOSA) and police staff unions to secure a better deal. Police officer pay should attract a premium because of that absence of a right to strike. I hope there will be some news soon and I’m grateful for how closely we’ve been able to work together with PFEW in the latest pay round. I’m very nervous about employment
Review are priorities for all chief officers, it is not just a London issue”
rights discussions, if by that you mean the right to strike. I think such a move could take us into territory with far broader implications. It could change the relationship between the police and the public, which is so essential to safety, it could change job security overall, and it could affect operational independence. The Office of Constable is a precious thing, ensuring independence in service of the King, keeping us separate from the other institutions of state. This is not something to enter into lightly, so let’s work
hard together to make a very strong case for competitive pay and conditions.
SH: From joining Cambridgeshire Constabulary in 1993 to serving every rank in the Surrey Police for more than 20 years, please share with our readers some of the milestones in your policing career. GS: The first thing I’d say is that I love policing, as much now as the day I joined. It was my mate Andy that got me into it in the first place. He’s retired and returned as an investigator, so still has the passion for it too. The professional milestones that I’ve really enjoyed include being a Neighbourhood Inspector, probably the best job I had, and working in PSD, which was really interesting, if challenging. I got to work on a sporting corruption investigation in Formula 1 with colleagues from Italy, which as a car nut, was really enjoyable. From a personal perspective the care and friendship in policing got me through the loss of my wife from cancer, and supported me in being a single Dad. I know that so many colleagues go through big life changes and have caring responsibilities, whilst caring for their communities too, and it gave me additional admiration for just what we can achieve despite adversity.
47 | POLICE | JUNE 2023
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