Blog Archives

UK Policing – Media and Politically Induced Public Misconceptions

The entertainment industry has always influenced public perceptions of policing. From the first literary works illustrating private sleuths assisting bumbling bobbies catch the crook, or whimsical renditions of The Laughing Policeman in the music halls of the 1920′s, through to Dixon of Dock Green, The Sweeney and latterly The Bill. All these images of artistic licence have had a profound impact upon how the public view our police service.

Initially it may have been that artistic licence of our authors and the performing arts however a more worrying factor is ; today most of that influence now appears to be driven by our salacious news media machine. The knock on effect of their predominant methodology now means that in reality; society and politicians (courting public popularity) have a warped perception of policing realities.

In a BBC News Magazine article, A Point of View: The face of the law, the noted historian David Cannadine examined the public perception of the British bobby. In his piece he asked; What sort of personality – and what sort of shape – do we want our policemen ideally to have?

It’s difficult to know whether this tougher and more controversial image of the police that’s been conveyed on television in recent decades reflects public opinion, or moulds it… (David Cannadine)

Politicians, driven by austerity requirements and the need to save money, are rushing headlong into reforms that will cause irreparable damage to policing in the UK. Reforms that are based solely upon political expedience and self-preservation, as opposed to better service delivery to the public. They seem to believe that Police Privatisation is the sole answer after all, it’s less expensive and has less of an impact upon the public purse.

But, despite the humourous observations on the matter, what are the realities and true cost of this hatched job that is being dressed up as modernisation and reform?

Low morale amongst officers across the country

The Police Federation of England and Wales will hold a march in central London on May 10th 2012 to highlight the unprecedented attack on policing by this government and the consequences that these cuts will have for public safety.

Paul McKeever, Chairman of the Police Federation calls on all officers available on May 10 to join the march and demonstrate their outrage at how they are being treated by our Government.

Chief constable quits in protest at plans for elected commissioners (independent.co.uk)
Charity warns on policing changes (bbc.co.uk)
Police Reform: More Rhetoric under the guise of Power to the People? (bankbabble.wordpress.com)
Criminal Justice System: why the constant public angst? (bankbabble.wordpress.com)
Hot irons don’t always mean it’s time to strike! (bankbabble.wordpress.com)
‘Principles of impartial British policing’ could be at risk (itv.com)

Posted in Government, Police

1 Comment

Tags: England, Law enforcement in the United Kingdom, Police, Police Federation of England and Wales, Television

Scottish Independence: What about the money?

Feb 3

Posted by Dave Hasney

Statue of William Wallace

Let me start by saying; I make no apology for my (partial) plagiarism in the content of this post. My raison d’être being; it is easier to put all the information in one place, to aid ease of reading/storage for my future use , and that of my readership…

Regular readers will have noted of late, I’ve been throwing my two pence worth into the boiling pot of the proposed (and preposterous) Scottish-English divide. But I’ll make no bones about it, I don’t profess to fully understand all the financial aspects of the debacle, I’ll leave that to the ‘experts’.

Richard Edgar, Economics Editor at ITV, writing in the ITV News Blog, commented on financial factors involved in the subject (see here). On the matter of a separate currency he said… “But a currency isn’t just a tool for spending or holding wealth, it represents the belief that the paper notes or digits in a bank account will be backed up, ultimately by a state…” Would that state (if it were Scotland) actually be able to ‘pay the barer on demand’ - many don’t think so.

In And another thing, a secondary post to the original, Richard reported on another analysis about the economic implications of Scottish independence by John Kay, writing in the Finnacial Times. He provided a short extract from Kay’s piece which I have also reproduced (below). It sums up Kay’s argument:-

“Currency is a confidence trick: its value depends entirely on the belief that it has value. For a decade the eurozone sustained the belief that a euro was a euro – and always would be – through confident assertion and a treaty that had no exit clause. But the erosion of that belief is evidenced by the flight of deposits from Greek banks and the increasingly careful protective positioning of funds and contracts by large businesses. The illusion of equivalence will be difficult to restore.

What does this mean for Scotland? A currency union requires that everyone believes a Scottish pound is indistinguishable from an English pound, otherwise the costs and uncertainties associated with separate currencies are unavoidable.”

It reminds me of one stat from Angus Armstrong’s report which I forgot to put in my blog on independence earlier this morning: when England and Scotland first embarked on monetary union in 1603 (the Union of the Crowns – a full century before the Act of Union) the Scottish pound was pegged to sterling at a rate of twelve to one!

I still belive that Salmond’s desires, and those of the SNP, are a mostly puerile quest (see here). More recently, all be it somewhat flippantly, I also suggested that some of this claymore rattling is little more than a juvenile spat (see here). All designed to try to rewrite history, and for self-interested reasons. What do you think?