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Shadowing a police officer in mid Wales
24/05/2007
When I saw Jan Berry, Chairman of the Police Federation, in
Blackpool last week, she said she was interested in my teaching experience in
Hull.
I said I would like to spend the same time
shadowing a police officer so a week later, after rushing out of London after
Prime Minister’s questions, here I am.
Jan suggested coming to rural mid
Wales because it is here in many
ways that the thin blue line is at its thinnest.
Arriving here, with picturesque places like Welshpool and
Newtown, it’s hard to
believe this is a hotbed of crime, but Sergeant Paul Herdman, my companion for the
next couple of days, tells me they are “fighting towns” – and we’re likely to
see some action.
There’s plenty of time in the afternoon to talk with officers,
community support officers and Paul’s family.
We even watch his daughter rehearse at a Welsh speaking school for
Eisteddfod as he’ll be working when the festival is on.
Attending the afternoon briefing, I get a reminder that
every day these officers take big risks on our behalf – some of the people that
they are looking for on the night patrol have been extremely violent in the
past.
We hit the road - and things hot up.
Three young men arrested for drugs in
Newtown (possession of cannabis, speed and
ecstasy) are swiftly cautioned and sent on their way.
We set out to find a local drug dealer, but are soon
diverted to Welshpool to deal with yobs on a train.
Then we spot a well known local hard man heading in the
opposite direction and turn and give chase, successfully.
His car is untaxed and he is breaking the
speed limit.
While he looks fairly
harmless, on a previous occasion it’s alleged that he punished a grass by using
a red hot poker to brand the letter T on their forehead.
By the time we clock off the cells (all 3 of them) are
pretty much full, officers are wrestling with an aggressive drunk and the
custody sergeant has been rushed off his feet.
There is an incredible contrast between the power of the
latest technology on the one hand and the crumbling infrastructure on the
other.
The unmarked car with automatic number plate recognition,
which we spend some time in, is incredibly impressive.
And so often it is untaxed, unlicensed cars
that are used for other crimes and this machine identifies them within seconds.
But the strongest impressions are these.
First, it really
is a thin blue line.
You can call for back up, but it might not
arrive for hours.
There are cells in
Newtown, but no longer in
Welshpool.
If the only three cells in this
vast area are nearly full by 10pm on a Wednesday night, what happens on a Friday
night after the pubs have closed?
The
fact is that officers drive for often more than an hour each way, to Brecon or
Aberystwyth, just to process an arrest.
Second, the paperwork, targets and auditing are every bit as
bad as they say.
Some of it is so appalling
it’s almost comic.
Every so often to
audit performance, officers are made to use a large clunking Psion for a
fortnight at a time to record what they actually do.
When these tests take place they have to make
entries in to the Psion every 15 minutes that they are on duty.
One officer told me of his frustration of
spending hour after hour doing paperwork, but breaking off every 15 minutes to
plug in the word “paperwork” to the wretched Psion.
Third, the expression “the death of discretion” is not an
overstatement.
For example, taking all responsibility for charging away
from the Police and giving it to the CPS, means that Police officers often wait
around for hours to decide what to do with a relatively minor offence.
If they ring the new service “CPS Direct”
they can get advice, but it can mean waiting on the phone for three hours.
Whether it is hearing about the fact that the local
management team have virtually no control over their £13m budget, or listening
to officers complain that detection targets mean that they arrest people they
would normally just tick off and send on their way (including one teenager who
stole an apple – yes that’s right, one apple), you are left with a clear
impression.
We train these people, ask them to do some pretty tough
things – and then utterly fail to trust them.
That’s not a reason to back pedal on Police reform, which I have argued
is deeply necessary.
There is a problem
with a few officers who, as one said to me today can “swing the lead and work
the system”, but the Government’s approach of endless top down instruction is
not right.
It is more local management
and accountability that’s badly needed.
Posted by srfielding 24/05/2007 11:37:18
Subject: Nice to have you back again!
Great to see a new post on here from you, sounds like you had a very interesting time! Do keep up the good work of listening to people on the front line's views on these such important matters.
But also please try and find time to answer/comment on some of the questions/views on WebCameron.
Posted by racheljoyce 24/05/2007 12:17:53
Subject: Finding out about the real issues
These fact-finding trips are excellent. What a contrast to Gordon Brown saying he is "listening" and then only turning up to Labour card-holding and press only events!!
Posted by Jerome 24/05/2007 16:40:16
Subject: Keeping up the good work!
Good to see you back in Wales again, David, and coming face to face with some of today's real problems, too. When you mention lack of Police, too much Government supervision and the importance of local accountability, you're right, no question. For all that, though, don't we need to ask whether some of our Police forces aren't too small for present day needs? Over 40 forces in England and Wales seems an awful lot when you think about it, especially when some of them have barely more than 1,000 officers on their strength and the thin blue line gets stretched as thinly as you saw in places like Welshpool. We mightn't want the great, clumping ' regional forces ' Charles Clarke proposed but is it really asking too much to ask some of our smaller counties to share a force between them? As you say yourself, ' We're all in this together '! Just a suggestion but, anyway, well done with these fact-finding visits of yours and keep on with it!
Posted by Trevisan 24/05/2007 17:32:26
Subject: At last!
David
I am delighted to see such a high profile politician go on the front line. I've no doubt that some of the procedures were changed for your benefit (as always happens when Mr Blair has attended my division) however as you have been on the front line and seen the chaos cut backs in custody cause on a weekend and the farce that is CPS advice, I can hope that you appreciate that policing at the moment is just form filling and targets.
Discretion is gone, yet I spent 6 months training and a 2 year probation to have the ability to make correct decisions on the street. Now I'm just a gopher for the CPS.
All I can hope is that should you take power you will not forget the experiences of your front line visit and reduce the needless beaurocrasy.
Posted by Dan 24/05/2007 18:15:16
Subject: Passing your party leader all day
Hello David,
I had an excited call from my wife Sian this morning to say that you were in our post office chatting to our rather unusually stunned postmistress "Dot". I had just driven to work and kicked myself for missing you as I live in Llanrhaeadr YM, a stones throw away and I was the Conservative Assembly Candidate!! Now I've seen the police car you were in I've realised that I've also seen you travelling around Mont. at least twice subsequently today!! All I can say is well done for doing it this way rather than with a media circus in tow and I really see from your informed comments, regarding rural policing in this area, that the undercover approach is fully justified. Call in for a cup of tea any time! Dan
Posted by canvas 24/05/2007 20:16:08
Subject: Taggart
Crikey - this sounds like a brand new episode for Taggart! :)
Posted by tirc83 25/05/2007 16:14:40
Subject: Life on Mars
Are they making a further series? I think this will prove invaluable experience should you choose to apply.
Posted by baldockbaldrick 25/05/2007 16:50:35
Subject: Oh, crikey
It sounds like an episode of Midsommer Murders.
I don't think people are too impressed by all of these photo opportunities. They want substance.
David, where's the substance in all of this?
Finally, I noticed all the cells were full up...where have I heard that before? :)
Posted by yorker 25/05/2007 20:27:20
Subject: Stepping on Lembit's toes
A bit cheeky, DC, going and tramping all over Lembit's territory.
Posted by Dan 25/05/2007 20:53:15
Subject: baldockbaldrick
Funny you say that baldockbaldrick, because speaking as a Montgomeryshire local, David Cameron clearly wasn't seeking photo ops at all. Point is that David Cameron could come to Mid-Wales and get as much publicity as he liked, anytime he liked. The Welsh and local press only found out about it after he had spent two days living here! This meant that DC was able to spend time quietly finding out, for himself, about the difficulties faced by our rural police force. Read what he wrote about the Mid-Wales force and you may reconsider ..
Regards, Dan
Posted by baldockbaldrick 25/05/2007 22:15:22
Subject: Dan
Funny that Dan, because that photo up there certainly looks staged to me. Of course the Welsh and local press only found out later as he didn't want it hampering his job. What I'm saying is that
if he wasn't seeking publicity, was there a need to have photos taken and splash it on his blog which he knows is read by the press? Just because they weren't there doesn't mean it wasn't a photo op. That's his team working ever so smoothly and it's working.
Take a look here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/6689399.stm
Posted by thethinblueline 26/05/2007 00:12:35
Subject: Shadowing A Police Officer
Mr Cameron,
It's good to see politicians of all parties, particularly those with a national influence, taking the time to try and understand the real issues that people working in the public sector face.
You've done a good job of naming a lot of them in your diary, and I know that they are replicated throughout the country.
I just hope that, unlike a lot of other such visits by other politicians, you remember the lessons learned should you have the opportunity to effect real change.
Can I suggest, if you get the time, looking through some of the blogs written by real Police officers. They tend to give an accurate picture of people desperate to do a good job for their communities and finding obstacles at every turn.
Best of luck for the coming months and years.
Posted by Dan 26/05/2007 09:46:52
Subject: baldockbaldrick
Well baldockbaldrick, it would be rather annoying for local journalists if no photographic record of DC's visits was available after the event wouldn't it? Point is what works in the interests of good government? Mr Cameron needs to be able to still talk to real people himself despite the obstacles of doing this as a major figure. This rather innovative approach allows him to do this, as witnessed by his reflections on rural policing. That has to be in the interests of good Government doesn't it? Normally an official visit by a party leader would be ALL about the photo opportunities and meetings with the top brass. The soundbites would have been written previously and no real listening or learning would occur at all.
Posted by mike6324 26/05/2007 19:37:59
Subject: a breath of fresh air
David,
I am one of the officers you addressed at the Federation Conference. I am amazed after what we have come to expect from New Labour that you are a politician who actually listens and then backs it up by going out and finding out for yourself if what you are told is correct. Well done for that and i take my (baseball!!) cap off to you. The only other thing to do now is when you become PM- hopefully sooner than later you will remember these visits and sort the sorry mess out.The breakdown of the family which you correctly identify as one of the major causes of crime etc needs addressing. Regards a grateful Policeman
Posted by meifodboy 27/05/2007 14:46:41
Subject: baldockbaldrick
Word from our local Police Officers is that they were very impressed with the visit and pleased to see a Politician get off his arse and see the problems they have in rural areas without a posse of the Press. Last night there was a large (600+) Young Farmers Barn Dance in our valley which thankfully passed without incident. Had there been trouble, the SINGLE police officer on duty, without any likelyhood of backup, would have been in great danger. If he did arrest anyone he would then have to travel farther than Newtown with his prisoner(s) as the cells there WERE all full.
At least David Cameron was doing something constructive in the County which is more than can be said for the Leader of the LibDems who chose to take part in "Have I Got News For You"
rather than attend a crucial meeting on Coalition Government for Wales.
Posted by Donnie 28/05/2007 12:09:36
Subject: Double Standards
I am glad to see DC listening to the Police however on reading the above I noticed
"Three young men arrested for drugs in Newtown (possession of cannabis, speed and ecstasy) are swiftly cautioned and sent on their way. "
So being in possession of illegal drugs gets you a caution by the police, but from July 1st if you use a legal product i.e. pipe/cigar/cigarette in a pub which is privately owned place you get a £50 fine.
In this context the law is indeed an ass!
Posted by MrSUNSHINE 31/05/2007 21:17:21
Subject: Good work...
It appears David Cameron actually understands the problems facing rural Police Officers. Speaking as a rural Police Officer, I agree with most of what he has had to say, bar a few of my own grievances with the system. It's very reassuring also that he has chosen to spend time with front-line Police Officers, who can tell you the real truth about what's going on - unfortunately most front-line Officers have little faith in the senior management of the Police, who alot of the time simply seem to an extension of the Blairs government.
In response to the last post, Donnie has a fair point, however a 50 pound fine is not the same as a criminal record. I'm sure alot of Police Officers would like to see many more criminals dealt with by the courts; however the courts also suffer at the hands of the government, who as most people will know from the media, are told what to do, which usually seems to be in the interest of the government, and not left to do what is right.
From where I stand, the government create nothing but chaos in the criminal justice system - they are pitiful managers. I heard a BBC journalist say just the other day that the government hadn't done too badly with the criminal justice system, however where they had gone wrong was to legislate everytime they were unsure of how to deal with an issue - and if we are being told the Labour government has legislated more than any other previous goverment, I think that means they've made a right old mess of things. And incidentally, how does that explain the mess the NHS are in - like I said, this Labour government are pitiful managers... Probably because they don't listen to what the problems really are, and the people who can probably make the best suggestions how to solve them - ie the people doing the jobs, or dealing with the problems!
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