By Vivienne Russell
09 July 2009
Police officers need to face up to mistakes when things go wrong, the incoming president of the Association of Chief Police Officers has said.
Sir Hugh Orde’s remarks came on the day the chief inspector of constabulary Sir Denis O’Connor published his interim review of the police response to the April 1 G20 protests in central London.
In his address to the Acpo conference in Manchester on July 7, Orde said police officers needed to get used to the fact that they are now subject to a higher degree of informal public scrutiny through, for example, video footage shot by the public.
He said there was a need to begin a conversation about the complexity of policing. ‘Failures can be for many reasons, ranging from complete incompetence through to the unexpected, unpredictable and unknowable,’ Orde said.
‘When we get it wrong, we should recognise the facts quickly, we should encourage debate around the grey areas of policing and be very willing to listen to the views of those who wish to engage in the policing debate and learn from them.’
O’Connor’s report called on police forces to rethink their approach to public protests. He said the police needed to shift their focus away from whether a protest was lawful or unlawful to one that facilitated peaceful protest.
‘We live in an age where public consent of policing cannot be assumed, and policing, including public order policing, should be designed to win the consent of the public,’ O’Connor said.
‘Future events like the Olympics 2012 make change all the more critical. This interim report is intended to assist the police service to achieve this change.’
The report made a number of immediate recommendations, including improved dialogue with protest groups, improved communication with the public and better training to equip officers with the full spectrum of protest activity.
09 July 2009
Police officers need to face up to mistakes when things go wrong, the incoming president of the Association of Chief Police Officers has said.
Sir Hugh Orde’s remarks came on the day the chief inspector of constabulary Sir Denis O’Connor published his interim review of the police response to the April 1 G20 protests in central London.
In his address to the Acpo conference in Manchester on July 7, Orde said police officers needed to get used to the fact that they are now subject to a higher degree of informal public scrutiny through, for example, video footage shot by the public.
He said there was a need to begin a conversation about the complexity of policing. ‘Failures can be for many reasons, ranging from complete incompetence through to the unexpected, unpredictable and unknowable,’ Orde said.
‘When we get it wrong, we should recognise the facts quickly, we should encourage debate around the grey areas of policing and be very willing to listen to the views of those who wish to engage in the policing debate and learn from them.’
O’Connor’s report called on police forces to rethink their approach to public protests. He said the police needed to shift their focus away from whether a protest was lawful or unlawful to one that facilitated peaceful protest.
‘We live in an age where public consent of policing cannot be assumed, and policing, including public order policing, should be designed to win the consent of the public,’ O’Connor said.
‘Future events like the Olympics 2012 make change all the more critical. This interim report is intended to assist the police service to achieve this change.’
The report made a number of immediate recommendations, including improved dialogue with protest groups, improved communication with the public and better training to equip officers with the full spectrum of protest activity.
