Police response guidance

March 4, 2020 0 Comments by Chris in Crime

Yesterday I intervened in a debate on the police response to Extinction Rebellion activists who shut down Cambridge last month and caused criminal damage. The implications of these events are national in their significance as markers of public trust in law enforcement.

I made the point that the police’s inaction in Cambridge has been in stark contrast to the initiative shown chasing down law-abiding citizens like Harry Miller, who was investigated for a non-crime incident after expressing his political views online.

I back the brave police officer who keep our streets safe but it’s clear the priorities being set for them at the top are not in line with the public’s. These skewed priorities stem in large part from the College of Policing, a quango which has been subcontracted the ability to set police standards. It’s College of Policing guidance that states the obstruction of the highway does not make the protests unlawful and it’s also College of Policing guidance which makes it mandatory for the police to record non-crime hate incidents.

I called on the Minister to look into the guidance being given by the College of Policing and I will not let this drop until the police are allowed to fully take the side of law-abiding public.