Forcing Police to Patrol Alone- Another Attack on Front-line Workers
Posted on 02. Feb, 2010 by Richard Barnbrook in Latest News
I am dismayed by proposals by Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson to make police officers patrol the streets of London alone, as opposed to in pairs, which is the current practice. This is nothing less than yet another cost-cutting measure imposed from on high by out of touch management, and as usual, it is the people who have to operate on the front line that have to bear the brunt.
Sir Paul’s justification for this change, which has been included in a government White Paper, is that “working the streets in pairs became routine over the past two decades because no one questioned it.” What Sir Paul has failed to take into account is the changes that have occurred in London over this period of time. Surely the emergence of frequent gun-crime, not to mention the problem of knife-crime, has made London a more dangerous place to police over the last 20 years? No wonder policing in pairs has become routine!
Having two officers present must always be preferable to a lone officer, simply from an evidential aspect. An extra pair of eyes may well make a crucial difference to the prosecution case- one officer alone and uncorroborated might be said to be mistaken. It’s clear that cost-cutting is the real impetus behind the move, which is being justified for reasons of increased efficiency.
Both Boris Jonson and a considerable number of GLA members have not opposed this proposal. Frankly, I was dismayed that Boris even entertained the idea. Of course, the ‘rainbow alliance’ seem to have welcomed it, possibly because it could help to let the villains off the hook?
I am all for making sensible and efficient savings. But certainly not at the cost of exposing workers to increased personal risk and stress. And I get very angry when I see measures being imposed from on high which will directly affect front line delivery. If cuts have to be made, then I would suggest that these should be on the administrative and management side, rather than at the coal face.
