Policing: The Social Media Bandwagon?

The SM Bandwagon!

2011 could be seen by many as the year the police service finally embraced social networking… But, in the clamour to climb aboard the social media bandwagon, does the service really understand what they want to achieve, are they getting the best from the technology and most importantly, are they actually using it correctly?

Back in October 2010, to a great hail of publicity, Greater Manchester Police used their GMP Twitter Account to give the public an idea of the workload officers face (see here). The project was deemed by many to be a “great success” and if nothing else, it certainly caught the public’s interest; some 12,000 people were following the GMP feed at one point.

As GMP were subsequently nominated in The Golden Twits, an annual award scheme that aims to celebrate the most active and respected twitter users, you would like to think their efforts were worthwhile. The GMP experiment was probably, although unintentionally, also a major reason behind the subsequent, all be it belated rush by other forces, all now desperate to go where most previously feared to tread.

The role played by social networks during last year’s London Riots was probably the final important and motivational message to policing (no pun intended); social networks offer immense power to those who chose to embrace and utilise the technology.

While rioters took to the underground paths of BlackBerry Messenger to organize, the highly spreadable mediums of Twitter and Facebook have shown to be the perfect platforms for mobilizing cleanup organizers and followers in the early aftermath of the rioting…(mashable.com)

But despite the role of Blackberry Messenger (et al) in mustering the looting thugs, social media also played a major part in the mayhem aftermath. The more SM savvy amongst us can hardly have missed the popularity of the anti-riot Operation Cup of Tea campaign. The idea, created by former Big Brother contestant Sam Pepper, was one of the top trending terms on Twitter during the riots (see here) but also; it was probably instrumental in persuading many young people not to get involved in the riots.

How good could that have been for community engagement? Imagine if the initiative had been thought up by an officer in a neighbourhood policing team?

Unsurprisingly but also unconnected, at the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) annual conference in August 2011, Richard Crompton of Lincolnshire Police, endorsed the ACPO stance on police use of social media (see here). He urged the service to take the digital highway and exploit networks such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Mr Crompton, has long been an advocate of social media and is reputed to be the first chief constable to tweet and encourages his officers and staff to “take the plunge”.

In September 2011 South Yorkshire Police in Barnsley used Twitter to report on all their activities in one 12-hour period (see here) and more recently, Staffordshire Police used Twitter and Facebook to report on their activities during Black Friday, one of the busiest party nights of the year (see here).

Thankfully we have now mostly moved on from those initial fears of using social media platforms in the public sector. It seems an age since, the probes into police posts on Facebook by Northamptonshire Police back in 2007, or staff at a Nottinghamshire hospital getting banned from using Facebook whilst at work, also in that year. However, despite all this recent activity and the belated ’love affair’ with the technology; many in public service, not least the police, are still (wrongly) running scared of social media.

The main reason I suspect is probably due to actions (rightly) being taken against those who either, use the technology to do unlawful things or, simply use it in a manner incompatible with their professional position or role.

One police officer was sacked and more than 150 faced disciplinary action over their behaviour on Facebook in a three-year period, figures have shown…(bbc.c.uk)

But that lack of professional integrity and/or that inherent personal fear and general misunderstanding of the technology, transcends a myriad of differing public posts or positions these days, not just the police (see below).

Scottish teachers are being warned that their use of social networking sites could put their careers at risk…(bbc.co.uk)

One of the fundamental reasons behind many of these ‘fears’ (at least in police terms), along with several of the personal misdemeanours above no doubt, was subsequently identified by HM Inspector of Constabulary Roger Baker… 

We found a significant blurring between people’s professional lives on social networking sites and their private lives which may be in the public domain and private lives which probably should remain extremely private… (Roger Baker – HMIC)

Gordon Scobbie, the Deputy Chief Constable of Tayside Police (and UK police lead for Social Media) has previously addressed audiences of international law enforcers, urging them to embrace social media and “take a leap of faith.”

Your organisation has staff who want to do more for the community on your behalf – it’s time to take the brakes off social media and let them get on with it! …the opportunities social media offers outweigh the risks…(Gordon Scobbie)

In September 2011 Superintendent Mark Payne from West Midlands Police attended the SMILE conference in America and outlined his Force’s social media experience. In his address to delegates, “Tweeting from the Frontline: Social Media and Public Order” he highlighted the police use of social media during the summer riots.

The SMILE conference, which is organised annually by connectedcops.net and lawscommunications.com, has pioneered the adoption of social media by many law enforcement agencies across the world, for public outreach, crime prevention, and forensics. So all the support and drive for mass use of the technology within the police service would appear to be in place, but what of the realities?

During the past twelve months or so of observing police Twitter and Facebook accounts, they generally fall into one of two broad categories; corporate accounts and the individual or personal accounts. For the most part (with a few notable exceptions), those of a corporate nature or indeed, operated in the name of some individual of ACPO or senior rank tend to be bland, uninformative and filled with little more than PR type rhetoric, most of which is actually dated. They are hardly a good example of supposedly fast-moving interaction, which is the whole ethos of the technology, let alone evidence of any worthwhile public engagement.

Conversely, many of those operating on a more individual basis (and I suspect with more of a free rein) tend to experience greater public interaction. Many of these are being used by officers as a modern tool to communicate with the community they police, a more immediate method of engaging with a wider audience and in many respects doing what good cops always did in the past; actually talk to those they serve.

Whether or not the British police service are destined to fully get to grips with Social Media any time soon is still a big question. There is some way to go before cops hold a good understanding of what is acceptable/unacceptable and, they still need the confidence, that only their bosses can provide; the knowledge that they won’t be disciplined for saying something out of turn.

They need to be confident that failing to tow the corporate line, or making some senior officer look silly because of an organisational or individual mistake, isn’t going to land them in hot water. Without this full understanding of the platform’s capabilities and the correct levels of training, guidance and support, many police officers are likely to continue in their failing when trying to fully embrace all the undoubted benefits of social media. The biggest loosers from this are the public.

No matter how things progress, there is one thing that is for certain; as Bernard Rix, a consultant with 20+ yrs experience advising on police improvement points out - 2012 will be a huge year for UK policing…

Related articles

• Police sacked for Facebook posts (guardian.co.uk)
• Police officers sacked over offensive Facebook comments (telegraph.co.uk)
• Police sacked over Facebook posts (bbc.co.uk)

Police Leadership: Hogwarts OR Ragwort?

Hogwarts!

The English philosopher John Locke once espoused that education maketh a man and his work, Some thoughts concerning education, has formed a significant part of the British education system since it was published.

So, if the true value of a man (or woman) is commensurate with the quality of their education, there must also be a correlation between the provision and efficiency of that process, along with skills and efficiency of those who graduate from it…

For some time now there have been widespread concerns about the ‘academic’ ability of our police officers. Indeed, Tom Winsor, the man tasked by the government, to review police recruitment pay and conditions, recently suggested police were “‘barely literate” (see here). This in it self is somewhat strange, given that police officers are (supposedly) better trained now than was ever the case previously. If correct, the selection and training processes must be faulty.

It has also been suggested by many (me included) that; the leadership selection process within the service is also flawed, a major factor (supposedly) behind the report now commonly refered to as The Neyroud Review. Despite there being some (but not many) useful observations and recommendations within Peter Neyroud‘s work, many within the service have already dismissed much of it, either in part (me included), or in its entirety.

In my opinion Neyroud, and others of his ilk, are in many ways responsible for the disfunctionality within the leadership of British policing. The current system actually dictates their self-interested methods and self-promotional ideologies, to a certain extent, it is unlikely you will ever rise to the higher echelons of police leadership without those traits today. To lessen the chances of any stumbling blocks on the way to the top, it is also in your best interests to surround yourself, where possible, with like-minded peers – leading to less arguments and/or challenges about your methods.

The major problem with both Winsor and Neyroud is that in real terms, there are too many negative impacts upon the delivery of service to the public, or at least upon service delivery factors. You see both of them had little or nothing to do with ‘efficiency’, despite being ‘sold’ as such they are in many ways, little more than theory based upon academia. The greatest underlying factor for both these reviews was always political agenda, that and the urgent pressing needs of government austerity measures.

I’ve commented previously on the subject of too much academia within policing (see here), as well as offering my views on some of the differences between police and military leadership training (see here). You see I find one other aspect of this whole process even more distasteful; the disgusting levels of self-interest and self-promotion in so much of it. Like the Police Federation (see here), I and many like me, have voiced concerns about what is happening to British policing. We feel cheated by our politicians, let down by many within police leadership and totally disheartened by the direction in which the service is being dragged.

But all to no avail it would seem, as the Neyroud Report has been accepted and apparently recommended in full recently. Now there is to be ”a new royal college of policing” - forming part of the “wide-ranging government plans to improve the performance and public reputation of police forces” (telegraph.co.uk). Peter Fahy, the chief constable of Greater Manchester Police and spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has welcomed the news…

The prospect of a professional body for policing is a significant opportunity for the service… To recognise the expertise and professionalism of policing in this way is a logical step and one which would benefit the public if it leads to consistent national standards and the sharing of best practise…(Peter Fahy)

In many respects I would agree, especially when it mostly removes the self-interest of ACPO direction in the service. One missing aspect of leadership reform, widely debated and that I’ve also been an advocate for in the past, was that of direct entry for senior officers; in a similar manner to the officer training methodology used by our military. I have argued the pros and cons of this before (see here) however, given the vastly differing personal drivers required in good workers and great leaders, I have to say I’m a little surprised at some of the groups and individuals who poo poo the possibility.

I am at a loss to understand why anyone would wish to become a police officer to serve the public and yet see it as acceptable to skip the basic and most important roles of constable and sergeant where the basic skills and experience of real policing is learnt and credibility earned…(Derek Barnett, President - Police Superintendents’ Association)

I am also ‘at a loss’ about the above statement. Often in reality, many who join the service today have very little interest in actually being a “police officer to serve the public” – their sole aim is promotion. And as quickly as is feasibly possible and in some cases, by any means available, if not promotion then a quick disappearance from front-line general policing into a specific police role. In continuing against the direct entry proposals Derek Barnett said;

Policing is a meritocracy where advancement is not based on background, influence or favour, but simply on merit. So, there should be no direct entry into an officer class as there is in the military, but advancement should be based on skills, experience and potential.

I’m in agreement with the sentiment of his observations however, unfortunately much of it’s just that – a sentiment. For years now, high potential (aka accelerated) promotion schemes, and the leadership selection process in general, has dictated; many police commanders actually possess very little real operational experience. They flit between units and departments for short periods, gaining (mostly) superfluous ticks in a personal portfolio of (often limited) ‘experience’ to ‘earn’ promotional points for their CV.

But, to a certain extent, that’s OK. After all, there is actually a wealth of difference between many of the qualities required for strategic and operational leadership… This important factor is acknowledged and (mostly) utilised within the methods employed to select our military leaders, and to deliver their subsequent training.

The Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst (RMA), which has trained the leaders of the British army for more than 200 years, is one of the finest exponents of that methodology. Indeed, as with the British system of policing, it’s a facet that has endeared its skills to the wider world. The infamous first five weeks of officer training are renowned for being one of the toughest experiences most people will ever go through.

But the RMA haven’t rested on their laurels over the years, as leadership requirements have changed so has the methodology; officer training is now even tougher than before, to reflect and meet new operational challenges. But one thing that military officer training never looses sight of is, the importance and value of subordinate ranks. I fully appreciate their will be some who don’t make the grade, or don’t posses the full set of rounded correct attributes for leadership, but they still graduate. However, isn’t this the case with any training establishment?

The RMA has been refered to, somewhat disparagingly I might add, as “like Hogwarts with guns” however; I suspect the comment to be mostly journalistic furtherance of the ‘class-divide’ debate. Save for the odd affluent prince or two, military leadership selection is no less of a ‘meritocracy’ than policing supposedly is. As ever, continually trotting out (mostly unfounded) arguments around class, race, creed or even sexual orientation actually does little to address the real issues at hand.

This brings me to yet another point within the overall reform subject; many government desires are born out of not only politics but more, political correctness. The incessant clamour for ‘diversity’ in service leadership, aimed at reflecting our society, simply leads to greater levels of positive discrimination. This in turn has a tendency for devaluing the whole selection and training process. A factor evidenced by some of the current (alledged) failings which in reality, are probably reflective of watered down recruitment standards in the past.

And so on to the topic of Police and Crime Commissioners…

Building Bridges or Pulling strings? - Public service reform must be driven first of all by the interests of the public, says policing minister Nick Herbert, and to that end, from November next year, policing in England and Wales will be overseen by locally elected police and crime commissioners (PCCs). They will make policing more accountable and more responsive, says the minister, through a chorus that still sounds more disaffected than delighted at the prospect…(publicservice.co.uk)

The above announcement, which has confirmed a previous government proposal, was delivered at the recent annual conference of the Police Foundation, an organisation that serves as a bridge between public, policing and government. Apparently the bridge-builders listened in near-silence, finding their voice only when former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lord Peter Imbert offered resistance to the announcement. He rightly but arguably pointed out; political commissioners are bound to interfere with operational decisions.

Lord Imbert described the policy as “madcap” and even “dangerous”. He suggested that it was “arrogant that a Home Secretary and government should think they can improve on Sir Robert Peel‘s ideas and scrap his principles of policing” I would agree… They want to be seen as a reforming government but as Lord Imbert said in the House of Lords recently; “to find the meaning of the word ‘reform’ one should perhaps look under the verb ‘to ruin’.”

A Tory Home Secretary, Sir Robert Peel, laid down the abiding principle that police must be impartial. Now we have a Tory Home Secretary and government threatening to throw the principle of political neutrality and impartiality on the scrap heap…(Lord Peter Imbert)

The Police Foundation conference finished off with a summary comment by the chair Roger Graef who concluded;

The minister spoke with conviction, but there’s high anxiety facing police. The upheaval, combined with what I see as unrealistic public and political expectations, could prove a thorny road for chiefs and managers.

Shouldn’t all this reform actually be about service efficiency and not about politics and/or individual self-interest?

So many ‘customer satisfaction’ surveys, readily published and lauded by senior officers and Police Authorities, would have us believe; the public aren’t dissatisfied with the police service per se… If anything, they’re actually despondent about the poor levels of service delivery… Failures that are (mostly) born out of the manner in which the service is managed, by its leadership under the direction of politicians. 

Having been involved in various police debates over recent years, and having spared with Neyroud on several issues previously, not least the issue of academia, I can hear him screaming now (if he should read this)… “it’s all anecdotal, where’s your evidence to back up your comments?” And subsequently bashing hell out of his keyboard.

Well Mr Neyroud (et al) unlike your evidence, which often appears to be based solely upon the thoughts and theory of fellow academics, all mine comes from personal observation. First-hand experience and knowledge, gained over a 30+ year period, along with a good deal of subsequent research and reflection . It also relates to having previously tried to provide a service to the public effectively, whilst smothered under an ever thickening blanket of virulent Ragwort, masquerading as ‘management’ – in a system of mostly lack-lustre supervision and command. This was only eased by proudly serving for 15 years with some exemplary ’Hogwarts’ graduates, ones whose skills and leadership traits were clearly evident.

I’m not confident that much, if any, of this current reform process will actually deliver the expected goods and/or changes to the service. In reality it’s probably set to become yet another sad indictment of management failures within the public sector. Failures that predominate in an area that i continually at the mercy of political interference. With reference to the police in particular, this is totally unacceptable. Policing is a role that must, in all reality, be apolitical.

I would like to finish by offering my congratulations to Peter on the award of his CBE, I’m sure he is very proud… But, forgive me for wondering if the citation actually read;  “for consistent ‘tinkering’ in but mostly around policing” - It appears some of the respondents to the news of this Royal accolade in The Oxford Times weren’t able to be as magnanimous as I have been!

Related articles

• Sandhurst is ‘Hogwarts with guns’ (bbc.co.uk)
• Sandhurst – BBC4, 9pm (mirror.co.uk)
• Police pay review chief faces claims report misrepresents officers’ views (guardian.co.uk)
• Police officers escaping punishment by resigning (guardian.co.uk)
• Police ‘need stronger oversight’ (news.bbc.co.uk)

‘Outsiders’ always know best…Apparently?

Harry Enfield

I have to admit, I often find it comical and somewhat ironic that; individuals external to an organisation or process always appear to know best? What’s worse is, these so-called ‘experts’ and ‘pundits’ are often ingratiated and lauded by many who really should know better…

We’ve all come across an irritating opinionated little twerp; the one who pokes his head over the garden fence and says, in a condescending grating and matter of fact tone… “Only me! You don’t want to do it like that, Oh No, you wanna do it like this!”  If not him perhaps you have come across the Self-Righteous Brothers Frank and George Doberman or, obnoxious Old Gits who take great delight in persecuting younger people – sometimes even directing their cruelty of comment at other groups of people, so as not to discriminate.

As Harry Enfield & Chums observed towards the end of the last millennium; our society appears to be packed full of those who profess to know the answers to everything… Perhaps Enfield’s satirical and prophetic insight into the malady of  British sociopolitical issues stemmed from his reading of politics at the University of York? Whatever the reason for his somewhat enlightened foresight, a worrying factor still remains; two decades down the line, very little appears to have changed in his comical prophecy?

The recent riots in England have served to creat a convenient stage for all manner of vociferous opinionated people. A myriad of individuals who suddenly (and arguably) have a ’valid’ opinion have raced to the dispatch box, soapbox and microphone to deliver their brand of answers and conclusions. It should be remembered however; much of this activity has simply emerged due to social, political or occupational personal  agenda. Somewhat surprisingly, there appears to have been little pulpit activity, thus far?

As the riots have occurred at the exact point when our government are pushing through radical reforms in UK policing, this current state of affairs has served to bring an even greater number of ’experts’ out of the woodwork. Everyone, connected or not, as the case may be, finally has an opinion on policing, even some (perhaps) unrelated journals and periodicals have got views…

Send for Supercop – What British police chiefs might learn from America’s most effective one… Sir Hugh Orde, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, questioned the value of tips about gangs from parts of America with so many of them, especially considering that America’s level of violence and style of policing “are so fundamentally different”……(economist.com)

Trying to keep abreast of current opinion on these recent events; I found it interesting to read the comments of Sir Hugh Orde in today’s Times – Opinion Column; Tension between politicians and police is healthy…

One of the foundation stones of British policing is Robert Peel‘s doctrine of constabulary independence. This insulates the police from political control and allows them to rely on their expertise, judgement and experience in their operations…(Sir Hugh Orde)

As per media normality, much of what Sir Hugh has said recently has been cherry picked by journalists, manipulated and presented in a manner to ‘evidence’ a particular (sociopolitical) story line. Sir Hugh states there is ‘no ’tension’ between the police and politics, just ‘healthy debate’.  Accusations have been made (from outside) that the service is “insular” and that both he and the service are “resistant to change” and opposed to any “advice” from outside the service…

It is disappointing to see a mounting attack on British policing. We should be proud of our tried and tested model of policing – a largely unarmed service based on minimum force and minimum interference with citizens’ rights – and we are determined to preserve it. But let no one think we are not open to challenge and change…(Sir Hugh Orde)

The latter comments enforce and sit squarely with those made on numerous occasions by the Police Federation of England & Wales. Both the leadership and the rank and file of the police service are solid on this ethos and (for a change) totally united. Conversely, Prof. Tim Newburn of the London School of Economics argues that…

The long-standing tension between police and politicians needs to be dealt with now. We cannot keep politics out of the police, and we should not seek to…(blogs.lse.ac.uk)

In a way I can see his point, all policing not least the British brand, has to be accountable to the society it serves. I can also see that in may respects, any particular brand or colour of politics reflects the views of our multi-faceted society. A society that formulates and bases its opinion, and consequently its politics, on where individuals actually sit within their social hierarchy. That said, accountability is a whole different ball game to political influence, or interference. Any ‘accountability’ must be a-political.

I suspect this is one of the reasons that Tim appears to agree with the rank and file of the police service. A service that, despite allegations of insular objection to change, has for some time now be calling for a full and impartial proper examination of what we as a society require of our police service…

So where do we go from here? Though they are deeply unfashionable, I remain of the view that this is the moment for a new Royal Commission on the Police. Governance and accountability ought to be its key theme…(Prof Tim Newburn)

The pomposity of our predominant hindsight political machine, where comment or action is often configured and delivered simply around a craving for (perceived) public popularity, usually does little to resolve the problems. However and just for a change, perhaps an outsider such as Tim Newburn really does have the right answer!

Related articles

• Are the police open to new ideas? Compare Sir Hugh Orde and Bill Bratton (blogs.telegraph.co.uk)
• Exclusive: Orde ridicules Cameron over US ‘Supercop’ (independent.co.uk)
• Police hit out at ‘supercop’ plan (bbc.co.uk)
• Are Britain’s Top Cops Anti-Innovation? (blogs.hbr.org)
• VIDEO: PM under fire over US ‘supercop’ (bbc.co.uk)