The unanswered question

field

Yes, unfortunately, as with so much else (say the independent schools initiative from the Tories) however good the proposal in theory, we have to consider the Islamic Impact when assessing it.

Melanie is quite right to draw attention to the potential dangers here if the Police are going to be subject to political pressure in this way.

Frank Pulley

Your examination of this affair is characteristically forensic and thorough; the diagnosis of the causes and problems irrefutable. Your prognosis of continuing dysfunction within the police service and between the Met. and the tripartite regulation of its duties and conduct will eventually be shown to be prescient.

The traditional role of Her Majesty's Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis was once a politically independent office that was virtually of cabinet rank itself and the duty was to keep the Queen's Peace and enforce the law. It was Parliament's role to make the laws, not dabble in the prioritisation of enforcement; that was the role of the police. In the last twenty years or so not only has the role of the Commissioner been politicised and usurped, but the the powers and the discretion of individual Constables (of all ranks) has been eroded beyond all recognition. The Crown Prosecution Service has usurped the prosecutorial powers of the police and this has degraded that function and has politicised the Courts at every level.

Sadly, it is unlikely that there any longer exists a Chief Officer of Police in the country who has escaped the political indoctrination of the Bramshill Brainwasher, one who, if appointed Commissioner for the Met., could restore its traditional independence and day-to-day excellence.

Sir John Hoddinott, the erstwhile Chief Constable of Hampshire who spent most of his service in the Met. and was the finest policeman, detective and thinker of his generation, should have been appointed instead of Sir Paul Condon. Had that occurred the chain of events of the last two decades would probably have been avoided. Unfortunately he died from sudden illness soon after his retirement from Hampshire, ironically whle investigating, on behalf of the Home Office, the political scandal that evolved around the Ray Mallon aka "Robocop", who later the Mayor of Middlesborough.

Like you, I fear that things can only get worse and that the civil unrest that is likely to follow the collapse in the economy will become chaotic, due to lack of experienced and apolitical police leadership.

Your support of the rank and file of policing has been exemplary, Melanie. Be of stout heart and keep exposing the chicanery and weakness within the upper echelons and the egregious interference of politicians who continue to use the police as a a political device. No seniot police officer seems to want to fight for the service anymore.

Ian G

There is a fascinating paralell in global politics. See if you can spot it.

Blair is a problem desperately needing a solution. For political reasons, it is not expedient for his own side to deal with him.
Boris, a relatively powerless opponent(he has no right or power to sack the Met Commissioner), who can easily be put back into his mayoral box, does the dirty deed.
Everyone condemns Boris.
No-one supports Blair. Indeed the silence is deafening.

Peter Barry

There is something seriously wrong with the Met and with the Police in general. Why for instance is there a BLACK Police Association an entity which by its OWN definition is RACIST and which also acts for Asians but NOT Whites. Then there is that other entity a MUSLIM Police Association which is RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION. So if you are a Black or Asian Police PERSON you can have TREE Associations taking care of your interests whereas if you are a WHITE Christian, Buddhist or Hindu indigenous Police person you only have ONE the Metropolitan Police Association which takes care of ALL Police Persons regardless of colour or religion. Now if this is not RACIAL and RELIGIOUS discrimination what is. In their headlong rush to an Islamisised UK the PC, Multi Culti fools are making themselves look ridiculous.

paul

Wake up and smell the coffee Melanie!! The police are already politicised to the nth degree. Was it not a political decision not to prosecute the Preachers of Hate so well exposed by Channel4? Instead our useless police tried to prosecute the messenger! You could'nt make it up!!
The police really need a massive shake up and they need to be accountable for their ridiculous decisions. At the moment the police are ineffective and if you look at their crime clear up rates they are not fit for purpose. The police are really a massive bureaucracy full of desk jockeys looking for a safe pension. Problem is we are all paying for it. Local mayors could not make a worse job of it than the madness at present.

raymond joseph douglas

This a very difficult one.Hard cases make bad law,and the independence of the police needs to be safeguarded.In saying that,Blair was an absolute plonker and needed the boot.The fault lies with labour who appointed PCs like Blair,into high office in the first place!We want a non-politicised police force,not a service,not glorified social workers!

logdon

Smiths preposterous performance on Question Time during which she alternatively glowered when counter argument got the applause ( funny how democracy is fine when they're winning but not quite the ticket when faced with public opposition?) was bad enough and a real insight into NL's modus operandi. Remember Prescott's failed attempts at regional assemblies? Now they have one which is not quite in line with their Marxist agenda and suddenly the gloss falls off with the said assembly accused of politicising the police ? Without the obvious of examining the concept of politicising Ian Blair, surely the most partisan officer in history, what rank hypocrisy she spewed? However a revealing little snippet emerged during the following Andrew Neil show when Diane Abbott muttered about Smith knowing what was going on all along and actually colluding in the back-room maneuvering leading to Blair's defenestration. So much for the bluster and what a revelation as to how hollow this bunch of deceiving chancers are? Is this pure, absurdist and bad theatre, worthy of a dark and labyrinthine Becket or Pinter performance acted in appalling and inept am-dram fashion, all we have left? When the raft of lies becomes it rather than a mask we are in real trouble. Welcome to fictionland where any lie will do, then when exposed another lie concocted to cover the previous until all is spinning in a vortex of mendacity. Labour's determination to stay in power is now becoming crazily obsessive and all they can do is reach for dishonesty. The weekend's blockbuster on Mandelson's third return is surely an indicator as to how far British politics has sunk? So much for Brown's echoingly hollow denunciation of spin, it's getting worse! Far worse. They have to go. It's either that or Britain's last vestiges of sanity will.

Cameron Dewett

Bravo. Imagine my horror, nearing the end of one of your blogs and not nasty tenuous reference to Muslims. I thought you might be losing your touch, but like a Thierry Henry last minute equaliser you manages to get it in there in extra time.

Dee Ranged

Don't forget the Gay Police Association otherwise you could be deemed homophobic.

Dalesman

PETER Barry makes a good point about the different associations. I have to agree with him.

But your point about New York was a good one, Melanie. The mayor took the credit for what had been a great job, and ten fired the police chief who had done all the work.

We have to do everything we can to stop the same happening here.

Cameron

Why do you only post comments agreeing with articles ?

Brian Moshe

Further to Frank Pulley's excellent comments I would like to add to what he has said about the late Sir John Hoddinott, former Chief Constable of Hampshire, who would have made a superb Commissioner of the Met. (Actually Sir John retired the day before the Met post was first publicly advertised I believe.)

In the next few weeks Sir Paul Kernaghan, the current Chief Constable of Hampshire (and John Hoddinott's sucessor)will be retiring, although he is still in his mid-fifties and is Britain's longest serving police chief.

It would be terrific if he could become the next Commissioner. He has extensive knowledge of terrorism as he cut his teeth in the RUC and he has also helped in the training of Iraqi police in Iraq. No police force in England and Wales can claim everything is getting better in every crime category, but in several areas of crime Hampshire has done far better than some other forces.

Whoever does come to replace Ian Blair needs to have the same courage in facing up to the Met's current problems that Sir Robert Mark, a former Commissioner, brought to trying to wipe out corruption in the Met in the 1970s.

It is quite obvious that the various racial and religious police associations need to be disbanded and disrupters need to be sacked.

Some of the rot has been clearly visible thanks to insiders' leaks to the media - two examples: the Muslim officer in the Diplomatic Protection Unit who refused to help guard the Israeli embassy (it used to be an honour to be selected for that unit, so I'm told); the fact that the police have to liase with immams and self-appointed 'community leaders' before local anti-terrorist raids and the 'rules' that surround these raids such as no going into Muslims' houses without removing shoes, no police dogs indoors and other absurdities (in the raid context) that would have your average US police officer staggering around in dis-belief.

Having some first-hand knowledge of small-town and big city US police and deputy sheriffs, I can't say that I altogether prefer the US police even though I am 100% behind their zero tolerance ethos. There is still something intangibly preferable about most of our older and some of our younger British police, but the sort I'd like to see more of are sadly, like red phone boxes, getting fewer by the year.

It would be an inspiring choice if Sir Paul Kernaghan were to be the next Commissioner of the Met.

John

To say the Met is politicised is not far off the mark as until 1970 the Commissioner was not a police officer but a Justice of the Peace and didn't carry a warrant card.

Andrew Croft

Both your articles on this subject (especially 3rd October) are full of the usual hyperbole, venom and general nastiness.

He's a human being who made some mistakes for God's sake. The job is always going to be difficult and likely to end in tears.

At least he can look at himself in years to come and say that he was brave enough to take the job and that he gave it his best shot, and I'm sure that throughout his career he has contributed to society.

Unlike you Melanie, who just sits hovering over her keyboard spitting out bile and never having the guts to take on anything with real responsibility that could vaguely be described as making a useful contribution to society.

JohnAnt

Interesting that Blair'after his confab with Boris and the MPA chief, unstead of conferring with any of his senior officers, took the rest of the day off work, went back to his cosy North Oxford home and asked his wife what she thought.
Tells us everything we need to know, really, about his detachment from his job and staff.

EC

Brian Moshe: "It would be an inspiring choice if Sir Paul Kernaghan were to be the next Commissioner of the Met."

Maybe so, but what is needed is a robust, no nonsense, zero bullshit, propper copper. The only truly inspired selection would be to drag Frank Pulley out retirement.(again) Oh how I'd love to see the look on "their" faces!
C'mon Frank, if McCain can run for POTUS you could also do this. Not only would BOJO get a guiding hand on his shoulder and there would then exist the blissful prospect that his predecsssor might actually get his collar felt.