Home Affairs CommitteeWritten evidence submitted by Colin Taylor [LSP 27]

Firstly, thank you so much for the opportunity to attend the [Committee’s international conference on leadership and standards in the police service].

I briefly spoke to Mr Vaz afterwards and he apologised for any questions that I may have had, but didn’t get the opportunity to ask, and requested I forwarded them on so the committee could consider them. They are not questions, but more of observations that I hope may assist your enquiry.

1. Since the changes to police pay, conditions and pensions, morale amongst officers (particularly constables) has seriously declined. Also, as the Winsor proposals have not yet been fully implemented, morale I fear has not yet hit rock bottom. It is only once the full effect of his proposals are established, and officers can see how they will be financially hit, as well as how insecure their jobs will become, only then do I believe that morale will hit a base level. This could be years away, what with the time scales he proposes. With low morale amongst officers, integrity must surely become an issue. If officers become disillusioned with their job, and how they are being treated, then officers will take the view of “why bother”. When this happens (and it’s already started!), discipline and standards slide downwards. It’s a natural thing to occur when the workforce do not feel valued by their leaders, and believe you me, at this moment in time, most police officers feel very undervalued and unwanted by this government. Officers feel that they are being battered left, right and centre, whether it be on our pay, conditions and pension, or the unwarranted attack upon “The Police” by the British media.

When I read stories about the failings at Hillsborough, Orgreave, the number of deaths in police custody, the Andrew Mitchell incident….(the list goes on) then I, a response constable in North Cornwall are made to believe that I am responsible for all of this and not the few individual officers involved. That is how the media report it, and are poisoning the public against us with their headlines. Do not underestimate how damaging this is upon us, especially when our own leaders, the Home Secretary or indeed the Minister for Police do nothing whatsoever to defend us.

Whatever the outcome of your enquiry into standards, leadership and integrity of the police, nothing will progress forward until something is done to improve our morale. Indeed, one of the manifesto pledges of the Devon and Cornwall PCC was to improve the morale of its officers.

Mr Vaz made a very good point recently in a press article, and that is if you are pushing major organisational change and reform through, you need to take your workforce with you to ensure its success. The government’s attitude towards police officers at this time has demoralised us so much, that their reforms are being pushed through without us, and if you haven’t got the ones you need to make the reforms a success with you, then it will fail.

2. The lady from the Black Police Association raised the question about the imbalance of minority groups within the police. My observation here is as follows.

In the last 15 years or so, entry standards in the police (both academic and fitness) have been significantly lowered as it was felt that it was preventing minority groups from joining. Tom Winsor’s proposals for entry standards are that recruits must now have at least 3 A level qualifications and pass a fitness test which will soon encompass a military style assault course. The Police Federation have already raised concerns about this, as by its very nature, will exclude certain good quality recruits, who would make excellent police officers and represent the community they serve, but will be excluded because they don’t hold academic qualifications, or meet the high fitness criteria. If you apply the same problems we had 15 years ago, when the then high standards did not attract minority applicants, to those of Tom Winsor’s, then will the same problems not reoccur ?

Mr Vaz mentioned that he would welcome comments and input from front line officers such as myself to assist your enquiry. I am very passionate about the vocation I took up 16 yrs ago, and passionate about giving the best to the communities I serve. I have many more observations from the practitioners point of view which, if you feel would benefit your investigations then I would be most willing to help in any way I can.

Again, many thanks for yesterdays opportunity.

Colin Taylor

January 2013