HomeNewsWorldwide NewsPolice officers ordered by Home Office: Don't talk about crime because it upsets people

Police officers ordered by Home Office: Don't talk about crime because it upsets people

07 January 2010

Police officers have been told to avoid talking about crime to members of the public - after Home Office chiefs found it 'upsets them', it can be revealed today.

The report, called Improving Public Confidence in the Police Service, states that when officers highlight crime and anti-social behaviour problems at community meetings it can lead to 'feelings of fear' among the public.

According the respected industry magazine Police Review, public confidence in the police - currently standing at 49 per cent - needs to be boosted to 60 per cent by 2012.

The report states that to achieve this target, police officers need to 'avoid four main pitfalls’ which can destroy officers' confidence. They include:

Pitfall One - Highlighting crime and anti-social behaviour 'too much' - The report found that talking about crime at public meetings led to 'feelings of fear' among the public. It states: 'Dialogue centred on the apparent pervasiveness of crime and insecurity may actually stimulate feelings of threat or fear among those listening to such messages, and in turn lower opinions of the police. There is also evidence that if people feel increasingly insecure they are likely to blame the police.'

Pitfall Two - Bad mouthing their employers - The report says police officers were the most likely of all public servants to 'talk negatively' about their employers to the public. The report states: 'Evidence shows the police have a lower perception of their service than other public sector workers and are least likely to speak highly about the criminal justice system as a whole. It has been suggested that if the police were to talk negatively about their job in public then this may lower general public perceptions of the police.'

Pitfall Three - Treating community policing as a 'waste of time' - The report says that many bobbies see community policing, such as taking part in litter patrols and meeting locals, as a 'waste of time'. It states: ‘Some police officers still regard community policing or community engagement-based roles as not 'real' policing. If a community-engagement philosophy is not adopted throughout the police then community- focused work can still be regarded as an 'add-on' to core business. This can result in the work being afforded a low status’.

Pitfall Four - Not ensuring diversity in community meetings - The Home Office report states that many police community meetings are packed with 'white, middle class’ people. It states: ‘Evidence has suggested that formal mechanisms for consultation are mainly attended by unrepresentative members of the community, being biased towards older, White, middle-class citizens. Consideration should be given on how to encourage and consult with the whole community.'

One officer from Thames Valley Police, who did not want to be named, said the report sounded like a 'bad joke'.
He said: ‘What the hell do they expect us to talk about at a public meeting? The price of tea in China or how much a pint of milk costs?

‘This report sounds like a really, really bad joke, but unfortunately it’s the kind of nonsense we have to deal with time and time again from a Government which doesn’t understand policing.’
Detective Constable Alex Challenor, of Lancashire Constabulary, said the report was 'ridiculous’.
He said: ‘This is just another way the Government is trying to control everything we think and say.

‘I can understand us being told to be careful about what we put on Facebook and things like that, but trying to control what we say to people in the pub is ridiculous.’

Editor of Police Review Chris Herbert said: ‘It is hard to know whether it is depressing or funny.

‘The guidance instructs officers not to be rude about their force’s strengths and weaknesses.
‘Unfortunately, the latest piece of research, hot from the bowels of the Home Office, fails to mention what topic officers should choose.

‘Perhaps they should be asking locals what they got for Christmas instead of talking about crime.’

The report, which draws together evidence from recent academic studies and individual force schemes, says the public think crime is on rise, despite claiming a fall in the past 10 years.
It states: ‘It is important that the public feel confident in the police and other crime-fighting agencies.

‘We know that crime has fallen considerably in the last 10 years, but the public are not feeling the impact of this and believe crime is rising.’

In conclusion, the report states that community policing is the way forward and that the above-mentioned 'pitfalls’ needed to be avoided to ensure public confidence in policing.

It continues: ‘To increase public confidence and decrease the fear of crime, the police need to re-engage as an active part of the community and represent and defend community values, norms and morals.

Source: Mail Online