No doubt those in the ivory towers will argue that Policing is a disciplined service and as such is entitled to demand a degree of control over those in its ranks. No doubt there will be those who insist that no matter how bad things get, publicly voicing our concerns will do more harm than good.
It is these people who Devon PC, Nick Manning, has come up against over his comments made recently on social networking site, Twitter. Nick’s account (@dorsetconschair) has been removed so I cannot say exactly what he had posted, but I have seen a number of quoted entries. I am aware that he identified himself as a serving officer in Dorset and that, as part of his role, he acted as a Federation Representative. His account (which had 192 followers) carried the standard disclaimer (which, for those of you with job Twitter accounts, does not double as a ‘Get Out of Jail Free Card‘) that he was expressing his personal point of view and not that of Dorset Police.
It has been more than a decade since my attestation so I decided to look up the oath I took and double-check the wording. Here it is for those of you who have never read it or have forgotten what we all said back at the beginning:
“I do solemnly and sincerely declare and affirm that I will well and truly serve the Queen in the office of constable, with fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality, upholding fundamental human rights and according equal respect to all people; and that I will, to the best of my power, cause the peace to be kept and preserved and prevent all offences against people and property; and that while I continue to hold the said office I will to the best of my skill and knowledge discharge all the duties thereof faithfully according to law”
Nowhere in there can I see anything about promising to keep my mouth shut when the resilience on my shift gets so bad that it’s only a matter of time before someone gets killed. Neither can I see anything about a ban on being allowed to have an opinion or to express it in a public forum.
Much as I loathe it sometimes the good old ECHR will no doubt be wheeled out in Nick’s defence. The likely candidate will be Article 10 which states that we have:
“…the freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority”
It could be argued that those instigating the disciplinary proceedings are breaching Article 10 to deal with someone who has simply exercised his rights under it. I am sure that Police Regulations will contain something comprehensive that counters that ideal, but I would be curious to know which document overrides which.
Nick Manning’s Regulation 14 notice states that he has undermined public confidence in the Police and brought discredit on the service. I would argue that the government’s stance on the reductions in Police budgets and the lack of willingness to accept alternative financial solutions (effectively ensuring there is no alternative but a cull on officer numbers) has undermined public confidence not the words of one officer.
Public knowledge of how far the numbers those of us charged with protecting our towns and cities has been, and will continue to be, stretched and the concerns of those of us who wear the uniform about our ability to do our job effectively, and even to protect ourselves on occasion, does not bringing discredit on the service, but rather highlights its plight. You only have to take a drive or a walk around your local area, or call and ask for an officer to come to your home, to see that we are spread thinner than ever before. It’s hardly news!
I believe that public knowledge about the problems that currently exist in Policing can actually be a mechanism for positive change. We have seen what happens if you bury your head in the sand and pretend everything is fine until the wheels all come off at the same time. Banks and multi-national corporations have been brought to their knees through doing just that and if we allow that to happen to our grasp on law and order then all the public confidence in the world won’t stop the cities burning.
On a positive note…we had 11 sat round the table this afternoon on parade. That’s a huge improvement on recent weeks (after illness, attachments to ‘partner agencies’ and courses took their toll yet again) and I am sure that the local populace will be thrilled to know that three extra officers meant that, today, each had only to look after 5,900 people instead of the 8,100 we each had on our consciences last week!
It’s a good job that most of them chose to behave themselves…
