British Policing Needs A Reality Check
"For the record, Manchester Police failed to record 80,000 crimes in a single year."
Who would want to be a police officer in the UK? It's a tough job at the best of times, and it's now made considerably worse by the political class and a significant portion of society, which have determined that male officers are untrustworthy by default.
To substantiate my point, here is some official advice: If a plain-clothes officer stops a woman on the street, do not assume the officer is legitimate. Instead, flag down a bus, question the officer's identity, or refuse to cooperate until some form of confirmation arrives. Will that be effective?
Of course, this is the fallout from the Couzens case. Earlier this year, a serving Met officer tricked Sarah Everard into a car, drove her away — raped and then murdered her. Couzens then burnt the body in a futile effort to hide the crime. In a nation used to viewing the police through the lens of Dixon of Dock Green and Z Cars, this case is a stark reminder that something else is happening.
However, this horrific crime could have been avoided. The UK police's predicament is their own making. This is not to blame frontline officers, although they do have a role to play. Rather, the responsibility lies with senior police commanders.
In Hong Kong, we upheld the principle of 'supervisory accountability'. Consequently, leaders and supervisors may be investigated to ascertain what they knew and what they could have prevented when things went awry. Admittedly, this system was not infallible, nor was its application consistently just; at times, it yielded inadequate results. Nonetheless, supervisory accountability alerts senior officers that they must be prepared to explain.
If supervisory accountability exists in UK policing, it is not apparent. Allow me to present exhibit one: Met Commissioner Cressida Dick. It is pretty absurd that she still holds her position when her failures are the stuff of legend. To begin with, she oversaw an operation that resulted in the killing of an innocent man. Furthermore, there are criticisms regarding her interference with investigations into police corruption, and the list goes on.
Perhaps because Dick gets away with it, her middle managers feel compelled to behave similarly when assessing their subordinate officers. For instance, many studies indicate that middle-ranking supervisors emulate the behaviours of their seniors. Thus, do they become ambivalent about accountability when they observe their seniors enjoying free rein?
Considering the known behaviour that Couzens exhibited, it is difficult not to notice that something went wrong.
First of all, his nickname — 'The Rapist' — is outrageous! Secondly, he referred to 'sex workers'; a woman even reported to his station that she had not received payment. Consequently, he was called back from his beat to settle the debt by handing over some cash. So, why aren't alarm bells ringing?
Third, he brought a prostitute to a police wedding and then openly boasted about it. Plus, we have reports that he 'flashed' women on several occasions without consequences. Finally, it's known that Couzens used drugs and had an addiction to extreme porn.
Incredibly, none of his supervisors acted on any of this. I've heard that a culture of refraining from prying or passing judgment on people's private affairs held his supervisors back. If true, this is utter nonsense and not dissimilar to allowing rape gangs to operate freely for fear of provoking racial tensions.
In all of this, I'm reminded that one of the essential qualities of a copper is inquisitiveness. You must desire to investigate and uncover the truth.
Then again, the UK has a Prime Minister with the morals of an overly promiscuous alley cat. Is the nation meant to derive its values from him? One can see the issue.
Is it surprising that Couzens went unnoticed? After all, the UK police do not investigate burglaries, car thefts, or most crimes, so why pursue one of their own?
For the record, Manchester Police failed to record 80,000 crimes in a single year, with auditors suggesting that this is 'the tip of the iceberg'. This is not only a procedural disgrace but also deprives the police of significant intelligence. Police officers have also become accustomed to ignoring, covering up, or neglecting their core duties.
Is it correct to conclude that an entire generation of officers is steeped in a culture that disregards the evidence before them? Nevertheless, senior officers have become adept at shifting the focus to the 'low-hanging fruit' of policing language and emotions by scanning the internet for hate speech. The Harry Miller case exemplifies this point.
In many ways, the Couzens saga exemplifies a lack of accountability, conflicting values, and a failure to uphold standards.
I gained exposure to British policing and completed attachments and command courses. I have also visited numerous other jurisdictions, including Singapore, Japan, Canada, the USA, and Australia.
One of the challenges the UK faces is its persistent belief that British policing is the gold standard. Admittedly, the significant set-piece investigations are conducted effectively, but the routine frontline work is lacking. Nevertheless, any police unit that is well-resourced, focused, and has a distinct remit tends to perform well.
Part of the problem is underfunding. In addition, the toxic ideology of postmodernism and woke culture have given rise to unfocused and relentless mission drift. While attending a UK command course, it quickly became apparent that the 'leaders of future policing' are being groomed as politicians rather than crime fighters. This process involves cultivating traits of deflection and double-speak.
I recognise that police leaders must be politically astute—except in the UK, where this is the sole criterion for rising to the top.
So, above all, it's hard to conclude the UK police are not interested in tackling crime. Instead, they're now quite happy to become the enforcers of speech codes and minority attitudes.
Additionally, Hong Kong, Singapore, and various other locations offer improved 'day-to-day' policing, as officers respond to calls within strict time limits. Indeed, societal culture is an essential factor, making direct comparisons difficult. However, the honesty and humility of senior UK police commanders may enable them to learn from others.
I have considerable sympathy for ordinary UK police officers. Most are decent, honest, hardworking individuals striving to do their best in a strange, rapidly changing, and complex environment.
Regrettably, their leaders' political engagement and catering to agenda-driven pressure groups constrain them. Consequently, they yield to minority interests and appease environmental extremists, who obstruct ordinary citizens from conducting their lawful affairs.
I often wonder whether the critics and senior police leaders recognise the damage. Without that understanding, are they truly capable of repairing it? Unfortunately, the evidence is not encouraging.
Observe Ms Dick's response. Yet another study, of course. The idea that the UK police require more studies and input from self-serving academics to tackle these issues appears embarrassingly naive.
Instead, I propose straightforward leadership, accountability, and crime-fighting. Too simplistic? Probably. My advice will falter because it is not packaged in some fancy academic model from a pseudo-intellectual with no frontline police experience.
That's enough; there's nothing to see here. Move along!
October 2021
To substantiate my point, here is some official advice: If a plain-clothes officer stops a woman on the street, do not assume the officer is legitimate. Instead, flag down a bus, question the officer's identity, or refuse to cooperate until some form of confirmation arrives. Will that be effective?
Of course, this is the fallout from the Couzens case. Earlier this year, a serving Met officer tricked Sarah Everard into a car, drove her away — raped and then murdered her. Couzens then burnt the body in a futile effort to hide the crime. In a nation used to viewing the police through the lens of Dixon of Dock Green and Z Cars, this case is a stark reminder that something else is happening.
However, this horrific crime could have been avoided. The UK police's predicament is their own making. This is not to blame frontline officers, although they do have a role to play. Rather, the responsibility lies with senior police commanders.
In Hong Kong, we upheld the principle of 'supervisory accountability'. Consequently, leaders and supervisors may be investigated to ascertain what they knew and what they could have prevented when things went awry. Admittedly, this system was not infallible, nor was its application consistently just; at times, it yielded inadequate results. Nonetheless, supervisory accountability alerts senior officers that they must be prepared to explain.
If supervisory accountability exists in UK policing, it is not apparent. Allow me to present exhibit one: Met Commissioner Cressida Dick. It is pretty absurd that she still holds her position when her failures are the stuff of legend. To begin with, she oversaw an operation that resulted in the killing of an innocent man. Furthermore, there are criticisms regarding her interference with investigations into police corruption, and the list goes on.
Perhaps because Dick gets away with it, her middle managers feel compelled to behave similarly when assessing their subordinate officers. For instance, many studies indicate that middle-ranking supervisors emulate the behaviours of their seniors. Thus, do they become ambivalent about accountability when they observe their seniors enjoying free rein?
Considering the known behaviour that Couzens exhibited, it is difficult not to notice that something went wrong.
First of all, his nickname — 'The Rapist' — is outrageous! Secondly, he referred to 'sex workers'; a woman even reported to his station that she had not received payment. Consequently, he was called back from his beat to settle the debt by handing over some cash. So, why aren't alarm bells ringing?
Third, he brought a prostitute to a police wedding and then openly boasted about it. Plus, we have reports that he 'flashed' women on several occasions without consequences. Finally, it's known that Couzens used drugs and had an addiction to extreme porn.
Incredibly, none of his supervisors acted on any of this. I've heard that a culture of refraining from prying or passing judgment on people's private affairs held his supervisors back. If true, this is utter nonsense and not dissimilar to allowing rape gangs to operate freely for fear of provoking racial tensions.
In all of this, I'm reminded that one of the essential qualities of a copper is inquisitiveness. You must desire to investigate and uncover the truth.
Then again, the UK has a Prime Minister with the morals of an overly promiscuous alley cat. Is the nation meant to derive its values from him? One can see the issue.
Is it surprising that Couzens went unnoticed? After all, the UK police do not investigate burglaries, car thefts, or most crimes, so why pursue one of their own?
For the record, Manchester Police failed to record 80,000 crimes in a single year, with auditors suggesting that this is 'the tip of the iceberg'. This is not only a procedural disgrace but also deprives the police of significant intelligence. Police officers have also become accustomed to ignoring, covering up, or neglecting their core duties.
Is it correct to conclude that an entire generation of officers is steeped in a culture that disregards the evidence before them? Nevertheless, senior officers have become adept at shifting the focus to the 'low-hanging fruit' of policing language and emotions by scanning the internet for hate speech. The Harry Miller case exemplifies this point.
In many ways, the Couzens saga exemplifies a lack of accountability, conflicting values, and a failure to uphold standards.
I gained exposure to British policing and completed attachments and command courses. I have also visited numerous other jurisdictions, including Singapore, Japan, Canada, the USA, and Australia.
One of the challenges the UK faces is its persistent belief that British policing is the gold standard. Admittedly, the significant set-piece investigations are conducted effectively, but the routine frontline work is lacking. Nevertheless, any police unit that is well-resourced, focused, and has a distinct remit tends to perform well.
Part of the problem is underfunding. In addition, the toxic ideology of postmodernism and woke culture have given rise to unfocused and relentless mission drift. While attending a UK command course, it quickly became apparent that the 'leaders of future policing' are being groomed as politicians rather than crime fighters. This process involves cultivating traits of deflection and double-speak.
I recognise that police leaders must be politically astute—except in the UK, where this is the sole criterion for rising to the top.
So, above all, it's hard to conclude the UK police are not interested in tackling crime. Instead, they're now quite happy to become the enforcers of speech codes and minority attitudes.
Additionally, Hong Kong, Singapore, and various other locations offer improved 'day-to-day' policing, as officers respond to calls within strict time limits. Indeed, societal culture is an essential factor, making direct comparisons difficult. However, the honesty and humility of senior UK police commanders may enable them to learn from others.
I have considerable sympathy for ordinary UK police officers. Most are decent, honest, hardworking individuals striving to do their best in a strange, rapidly changing, and complex environment.
Regrettably, their leaders' political engagement and catering to agenda-driven pressure groups constrain them. Consequently, they yield to minority interests and appease environmental extremists, who obstruct ordinary citizens from conducting their lawful affairs.
I often wonder whether the critics and senior police leaders recognise the damage. Without that understanding, are they truly capable of repairing it? Unfortunately, the evidence is not encouraging.
Observe Ms Dick's response. Yet another study, of course. The idea that the UK police require more studies and input from self-serving academics to tackle these issues appears embarrassingly naive.
Instead, I propose straightforward leadership, accountability, and crime-fighting. Too simplistic? Probably. My advice will falter because it is not packaged in some fancy academic model from a pseudo-intellectual with no frontline police experience.
That's enough; there's nothing to see here. Move along!
October 2021