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Leave policing to the experts, Met boss tells politicians
Justin Davenport, Crime Correspondent15.09.09
Britain's most senior police officer today issued a strong challenge to politicians to keep out of day-to-day policing.
Met chief Sir Paul Stephenson reignited the debate over political interference in the running of police forces with the message that officers must retain their independence to make operational decisions.
His comments come after Kit Malthouse, the deputy mayor for policing, recently declared that the Conservative Party had seized control of the Met.
His claim that he and Boris Johnson “had their hands on the tiller” of the Met prompted Sir Paul to break off from his holiday to issue an internal memo insisting he was still in charge.
Today, in a robust speech to police managers, he said that while politics and policing will always co-exist, one principle should be “set in stone by all sides — that the police service remains operationally independent”.
Speaking at the Police Superintendents' Association conference in Kenilworth, Sir Paul welcomed political debate on policing issues such as terrorism, knife crime and guns.
He said: “I welcome that, indeed I believe it is vital... policing is far too important to be left solely to us.
“It has to be right that it is the community — whether through elected politicians or individual citizens — who tell us what it believes its police service should be concentrating on, targeting, working towards.
“But it also has to be right that it is us, the police service, which retains at all times that essential operational independence to decide how to bring about and carry out those general and justifiable aspirations.”
Sir Paul said the Met had worked with the Mayor to implement his election plans to put more officers on buses and tackle knife crime and gangs saying it was “a natural meeting of concerns”.
He went on: “But Mayor Johnson, and his people at City Hall, would be the first to accept that whilst wider views and opinions are helpful and to be encouraged, the decision of how to actually do it, who to target, where, when to act, what officers to use and how many, were decisions for me and my officers, and ours alone.”
Reader views (24)
'Leave policing to the experts, Met boss tells politicians'
But where exactly are these experts? They are certainly not on the streets when it gets dark. The lack of respect for our Police grows day by day whilst they have abandoned our towns and closed the Police stations.
If the politicians did that then change it urgently so we we can get some respect back.
- Roger, Surrey
Thats not a reason to accept the behaviour of our Police force , just because other countries policing is more extreme and they have less rights .
- Adam, london
"Today, in a robust speech to police managers". MANAGERS! Wasn't he addressing coppers?
- Bj, London
Our police force are the best in the world.
All these people moaning about G20 ought to live in another part of the world and see how their police force behave.
Our police have their hands tied because all this labour government thinks about is targets.
- Pat Morgan, spain
Since the formation of the police service it has always been politcially controlled. Either in days gone by, by the local Watch Committees ( a bunch of local worthies) and now by Police Authorities which is stuffed full of party activists. The Police Service is funded in the main by the Home Office who exist to implement government policy. Each Chief Constable is kept in line by Her Majesty`s Inspector of Constabulary, making sure that they implement the lastest wackiest idea from government - awarding them a gold star and an annual performance bonus payment if they comply. This is why we now have things like PCSOs (aka school prefects), diversity units that that are totally out of proportion in their size,funding and importance, support staff whose titles defy understanding and numerous units, the very reason for their existence has long been forgotten -each with a job`s worth mentality. The police service like many other public sectors has had millions and millions of pounds thrown at it by this government and like all things there is no such things as a free lunch. (Although no one has explained yet why, with police numbers at a historical high the only police presence on our streets comes mainly from PCSOs). The idea of trying to separate politics from policing is a total non starter. Why shouldn`t the police be held accountable as they are in America. Our police now dress and act like American cops so why can`t we hire and fire our local Sheriff if we want to?
- B Gare, Norfolk Gorleston
The real pros are fighting for queen and country in iraq and afghaniztan.the police are a violent corupt force of the uk. bring back our soldiers to do the police work and get a better income and the uk will be safe again
- Glenn Robert, brighton west sussex
Politicians should stay out of policing? I think first we should get the police to stay out of politics.
- Mark Myword, London
I served in the Met Police as a Constable between 1976 and 1983, if the public think recent Police behaviour at G20 was bad they should have seen what went on at demos 20 years ago. Comments made show how clueless the public are about policing, Police stations today have more civvy staff than Policemen and the control of policing is alrady out of the hands of the police, what you have now are crimes being commited where police do not even attend the scene, crimes being dealt with by fixed penalty notice. Accidents on motorways are now dealt with by civvys in the highway agency who close the road at the drop of a hat, instead of clearing the obstruction and keeping the traffic moving. The Commissioner and his top brass have already given up any independence the Police once had to create a Boys scouts in blue Police service, not a Police Force that actually makes the streets safer for everybody. This ahs to be one of the worst Poice Forces in the western world,and it is a politically correct target driven force which resembles Marks & Spencer is its structure than the disciplined service it was created to be.
- Paul Lloyd, East grinstead U.K
Why shouldn't the army take the same stance.Then they might not be fighting in Afganistan!
- Tonyjohnson, Hythe Kent
"Leave policing to the experts, Met boss tells politicians"
what a joke , from the murder of Jean charles de Mendez to the complete ----up during the G20 protests , Sir Paul Stephenson better take a closer look . When the police find the courage to protect innocent people from the increase in crime maybe then he can class the police as experts , until then they don't have the right to call themselves protectors of the public or experts , maybe experts in manipulating the facts when they screw up again .
- Adam, london
Well the experts would certainly not include the senior staff of the Metropolitan Police Service given their recent activities;
Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick (Specialist Operations)- resigned after taking confidential papers about an on-going counter-terrorism operation to a public place, Downing Street, where they could be read by photographers with telephoto lens on their camera's. This cannot have been a surprise as Minister Caroline Flint and Hazel Blears had done the same shortly before!
Assistant Commissioner Andy Hayman (Specialist Operations)- resigned due to allegations of irregular expenses, improper relations with female staff members and inappropriate communications with the Independent Police Complaints Commission while he was under investigation!
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke - appeared before the Commons Home Affairs Committee to justify detention of suspected terrorists for 90 days. Made a pathetic case and was reduced to saying his basis for such detention would be "instinct"! Ended his career in disgrace after the 7/7 and 21/7 bombings took place on his watch.
De Menezes affair - all senior officers involved!
G-20 protests - Deaths, miscarriages and beatings administered to the public!
- Manny Goldstein, London, England
Yes leave policing to the experts but make complaints about policing able to be investigated in TRUE INDEPENDENCE.
The IPCC is not independent.
It is the police investigating the police!
How daft is that?
- Darnthesafetynet, London W11
The hypocrisy and plain old fashioned party political bias that this statement from the Commissioner shows is breathtaking.
For the last 12 years whilst Labour have been interfering massively in policing, and successfully turning the good old British Bobby into an agent of their poisonous and authoritarian thought crime agenda, no senior policeman said a word. Now, because a Conservative Mayor is quite rightly trying to return the Police to their proper function again the top copper is up in arms.
Following this almost nobody in London can have any confidence in this individual as anything other than yet another Labour stooge playing party politics with his role, he is a total disgrace to his uniform, his service and his obligation to stay out of politics.
- Matthew, London, UK
Sounds like totalitarian talk to me, the Police are a public body, and paid by the public, and should be accountable to the public, when that ceases, shades of the Stazi, Gestapo, Nkvd, etc. etc. I wonder if people reflect on the fact that when large numbers of people have been murdered in various countries, who arrested them along with the army, or is that subversive talk, in our Democracy?
- Baz Bazzan, London UK
Just perfect that would be, a police force who cant be trusted, beat up and cause the deaths of innocent people at the G20,cover up numbers to escape identification, murder an innocent Brazilian man with 7 shots in cold blood. The real issue is the police who have such a cosy relationship with Labour and have (literally) been allowed to get away with murder !! see the new order in the form of the Conservatives coming and before they arrive are trying to consolidate a position. The police are paid for and accountable to the population via Government it is right and proper that they are made responsable to who pays them, and can demand value for money,along with full accountablity. Boris and his team are doing what should have been done years ago and of course the police hate it.
- Aan Davey, London
This man is an idiot. Who does he think he's answerable to? Are the cops some sort of independent entity?
It's high time these clowns were taken down a peg or two. They're not very good at their jobs, they spend the whole time telling us how great they are and how we should run our lives, how difficult everything is for them, and spend even more of their time playing politics.
Enough of this. Why don't you just shut up and get on with the job, Sir Paul. When you've proved yourself then maybe you'll be worth listening to - but you certainly ain't right now. You have zero credibility.
- Chuck Unsworth, London
Robert Jackson, the politicians already have input to the why the police run no matter what either side has said. As for the elections to determine police chiefs would you rather they go around canvessing for votes than actually doing their job which happens in the US
- Steven Jones, london
And how about police chiefs getting out of politics. Ever since Ian Blair turned up at the Met there have been photo calls, news conferences et al. When did we have a real copper in charge not one fast forwarded through the ranks 'cos he was 'an achiever'! If we had coppers in charge they would fight the politicians that inflict endless rules, regs and targets and get a system that is workable. Instead we have incompetent coppers trying to play politician and being incompetent at that too.
- Antoine Desmoines, London, UK
Presumably to tackle those twin blights of everybody's life: The young mother dropping a piece of sausage roll and the smoker inside a building.
- Jim, London
Boris Johnson is the one he is referring to, and he is right. Boris should stick to local politics and keep his nose out of the police force in this country.
- Keith Price, Luton England
This will be the "experts" that shoot innocent Brazilians seven times in the head and lose CCTV footage whenever it suits their purpose. No thank you. Take charge Boris.
- Thomas, London
For all their perceived faults it is important that the police remain independant from local political control .
Lunatics or BNP could win control of police, warns chief .
It could happen !!!!
- Alan Baker, essex .uk
Cavalier Cops, out of control, G20 need I say more. Why is it the United States accepts a political partnership with police, for example all police chiefs and Sherrifs are locall elected, the NYPD is also MAyoraly controlled. WAKE UP Sir Paul and allow us the public and poloticians some input in to what is not the best police service for preventing and detecting crime!!!
- Robert Jackson, London
Does in not appear strange that this Labour Government has systematically and gradually reduced the overall effectiveness of the Police, and in doing so deprived society of the one thing that maintains it in good order, the thing it needs to keep its citizens feeling safe, secure and happy?
Yet, you don't hear these senior police officers shouting about the masses of red tape and paperwork foisted on them that keeps officers sat behind desks for most of their shift.
But as soon as the Torys say they'll put some measure of control on one of the largest public funded bodies in the country, they're all up in arms.
Yet, by making people frightened to step outside their own doors, a more insidious form of political control of the populace has taken root.
- Threaded, Roskilde, Denmark
