Leaderless Policing.

As we move down the line of ongoing cost cutting,  I am hearing more and more excuses as to why the  quality of our policing is diminishing.   Many forces  blame reductions in budgets as the sole reason. This,  of course, was compounded recently by the news  articles about the police only going out to burglaries  at properties with even numbers due to shortage of  officers available to respond. We all realise that budgets are being cut, but that is  a very convenient reason to blame for a gross reduction  in service to the public.  We still pay our council tax and  our other taxes and therefore should have a consistent  and efficient service in return for our contributions.  When we enter into a contract we expect it to be fulfilled.   I do not think the reductions are the total reason for the  fall off, but merely an easy excuse. So why do we get a reduced and disintegrating service?   I believe poor management of the police service, coupled  with the atrocious lack of leadership that pervades the   service, is in large part to blame.  We have a police force  that has a two tier system of command and control.  At the  bottom we have the front line police officers who are out  catching the criminals and doing the real work of policing.    Above them, we have the senior officers who are more like  politicians.  These senior officers are charged with the  management and major decisions relating to the operation  of the police force but have, it seems to me, no aim other than   politicking themselves to the top jobs and increased salaries  commiserate with that promotion. Part of what is ailing our police is a severe lack of leadership  at all levels.  It may surprise many, but at no stage throughout  the promotion of officers is any leadership training given or any  demonstration of it assessed as a required trait in promotional  requirements, something that needs to be addressed.  Leadership  is the building block on which an organisation operates, especially  a uniformed service that has to maintain standards and ethics.   The military, in which we rightly take great pride, has a structure  from the lowest ranks to the highest of leadership training and   assessment which is demanded for promotion.  Leadership comes  from the top and should be the example that all in the force should  aspire to.  Sadly in recent times many of the senior officers have  been found lacking all too often.   They are the very people being  exposed for crimes and misdemeanours resulting in destruction of  morale and standing within the community in which they serve. We have many hard working dedicated police officers who are   demoralised and frustrated, not only by the budget cuts, but by  the lack of vision and leadership from those in charge.  I also include  the police commissioners in that tally of senior personnel.  What have  our expensive Police and Crime Commisioners done to raise morale  and standards? The answer quite simply is nothing. The PCC for  Cleveland is more like the invisible man and others have not equated  themselves very well since they were elected, at great expense to us all.  In fact they have presided over a decline in standards across the whole  of the region. What we need is leadership being demonstrated at all levels and pride  and purpose being instilled in our officers.  We, of course, need to design  and deliver this training, which once integrated would not be a large cost  to the overall training bill.  The result would be a more focused and  directed force all working for you and me and the protection of  our community.