Insightful and accurate as usual, Dom. I confess I haven't been able to bring myself to read Casey, as I don't need depressing just now. What boils my piss, however, is the fact that however accurate most of the report is, a part of it will be missing the point, and more damagingly, sections of the press will completely, wilfully or not, misinterpret it and paint all officers with the same brush. As well as being totally unfair, it will exacerbate the situation and make them ever more defensive and paranoid.
I agree thar so much of the blame can be laid at the door of la May and her cop hating cronies in the parliamentary Conservative party. I say that as a lifelong Conservative voter, who continues to do so because my values are Conservative, and even more because I detest the modern Labour Party with a passion, especially its hypocritical North London Socialist leadership. But yes, May completely cattled the police with cuts, with interference through misunderstanding of 'stop and search' the bête-noir of the left, and with ludicrous direct entry Superintendent ranks. "What, Sir? You've never seen a dead body/paddy pub fight /traffic accident/ resisted arrest? Oh, sorry, you've never seen any arrest, let alone made one. " Her, and her ilk's problem is that, like Agatha Christie' protagonists, they view police officers as "Trade", a necessity to be tolerated, "But please use the back door, cook will make you a cup of tea". A bit how BSS used to view SB, and how SB, if truth be told, used to view the rest of the Met. (And I say that as an alumnus of uniform, CID, Area Complaints, CIB2/3, and NTFIU, the last person to be transferred to SB before the night of the long knives. I've gone so far off piste now I have lost my thread, mixing more metaphors than Del Boy Malaprop, so I'll stop. Keep it up, Dom, you always give me hope!
Great discourse Dom, as ever, with well expressed insight. Just a few points if I may?
1) (Awaiting howls here). A lot of what went on in the past (I joined arse end of ‘86) was simple bullying and horrible. I knew two officers bullied out of the job by the Authorised Gobs of team, official supervisors too weak or frightened or under confident to lift a finger to stop it. I didn’t buy this ‘character-building’ BS then and I don’t now.
2) I do wonder about some of the evidence Casey assembled. I am still reading it (I actually have a day job to do also so it’s taking time!🤦🏻) I understand there are reports of units where a rite of passage was to be urinated on? If that isn’t there apologies. If it is, I am at a loss to know what theme park those dinosaurs participating were from, because -like ‘stamping-in ceremonies’ for female officers I would have thought that all long gone. The latter ‘ritual was seen as ‘old-hat’ in the mid-late 80s and always related to me as a thing of the past even then. Mind you, in ‘87 I’d have said homophobia was a thing almost of the past. Amongst the ‘younger’ officers of the day NOBODY really cared about what adults got up to IN PRIVATE with consenting adults. That said, cottaging and public sex (Hetero and homo) were crimes and I know I nicked individuals for both, and feel no regret. It’s a sign of societal change that now these are seen as acceptable behaviours and facilitated.
3) Like you, I have to check myself to see I am not defensive about the MPS because some of the evidence adduced that I have read is readable two ways. Bacon in a Muslim officer’s boots is appalling and agree with you, but a Sikh officers turban put in a box… could THAT be an attempt by a tidy officer to look after that officer’s head gear? I’d need to know more.
4) I totally recognise the Met that Casey excoriated and you sim it up above so well I shall move on. Suffice to say your reading is 100% on the money.
5) I personally do not like the word ‘institutional’ . It was used in MacPherson very specifically to mean that policies were in place that discriminated against persons from other ethnic backgrounds and that was bang on. It was unconscious and unintended. The term gets bandied about these days freely but incorrectly. To use it so, in my mind, diminishes the responsibility of the nasty bullies engaging in such behaviour and lessens their culpability. Semantics, maybe, but I feel that is important.
6) Finally, (do I hear cheers?) I believe that whilst there is little I disagree with in Casey from what I have read so far the report is ACTUALLY a Stalking horse for the Home Office and senior county officers on an agenda that’s been going to years to make the Met the ‘Londonshire Constabulary’ with all National functions removed and allocated elsewhere. Of course, that still leaves public order, but I believe the intention is the break the Met into a number of smaller units by ‘dark forces about which we know little’.
Thank you for penning this. Once again I wish I had your skill as a wordsmith
Having taken the time to read the Casey review, I am both appalled but not surprised by the findings. I think that the Met is also guilty of institutional amnesia. For example, it forgot why rape & child abuse investigation became a specialism in its own right with dedicated resources in a single command. Thanks to cost cutting, the command was disbanded & Boroughs left to pick up the pieces with the all too familiar consequences. So many senior Officers, including those who left the Met & have now returned were guilty of institutional deafness. Every Met project was deemed a success, even if it wasn’t. If those who knew better commented negatively upon any project or initiative, they were told that there were being resistant to change. Austerity & budget cuts have hugely contributed to where the Met is today. For me, the Commissioner & Management Board need to be both brave & bold in their response. They should set up an oversight board led by Baroness Casey to ensure that the require changes are made. One thing to consider is disbanding the Parliamentary & Diplomatic Patrol Group. Use private unarmed security for low risk locations/individuals. Use HM Forces for the high risk ones. That’s a 1000 Officers & Staff available to be deployed to Borough. For MO19, implement a limit on the length of time every individual is able to serve within the Unit. Just a couple of ideas to start with in my humble opinion.
Great article. Having read the report, the only bit i disagree with, surprise, surprise, is the allegation of institutional racism. I think it suits the SLT to allow the msm to harp on about this. While they are, the damning, accurate message in the report about the poor and lack of leadership, is washed over.
Insightful and accurate as usual, Dom. I confess I haven't been able to bring myself to read Casey, as I don't need depressing just now. What boils my piss, however, is the fact that however accurate most of the report is, a part of it will be missing the point, and more damagingly, sections of the press will completely, wilfully or not, misinterpret it and paint all officers with the same brush. As well as being totally unfair, it will exacerbate the situation and make them ever more defensive and paranoid.
I agree thar so much of the blame can be laid at the door of la May and her cop hating cronies in the parliamentary Conservative party. I say that as a lifelong Conservative voter, who continues to do so because my values are Conservative, and even more because I detest the modern Labour Party with a passion, especially its hypocritical North London Socialist leadership. But yes, May completely cattled the police with cuts, with interference through misunderstanding of 'stop and search' the bête-noir of the left, and with ludicrous direct entry Superintendent ranks. "What, Sir? You've never seen a dead body/paddy pub fight /traffic accident/ resisted arrest? Oh, sorry, you've never seen any arrest, let alone made one. " Her, and her ilk's problem is that, like Agatha Christie' protagonists, they view police officers as "Trade", a necessity to be tolerated, "But please use the back door, cook will make you a cup of tea". A bit how BSS used to view SB, and how SB, if truth be told, used to view the rest of the Met. (And I say that as an alumnus of uniform, CID, Area Complaints, CIB2/3, and NTFIU, the last person to be transferred to SB before the night of the long knives. I've gone so far off piste now I have lost my thread, mixing more metaphors than Del Boy Malaprop, so I'll stop. Keep it up, Dom, you always give me hope!
Great discourse Dom, as ever, with well expressed insight. Just a few points if I may?
1) (Awaiting howls here). A lot of what went on in the past (I joined arse end of ‘86) was simple bullying and horrible. I knew two officers bullied out of the job by the Authorised Gobs of team, official supervisors too weak or frightened or under confident to lift a finger to stop it. I didn’t buy this ‘character-building’ BS then and I don’t now.
2) I do wonder about some of the evidence Casey assembled. I am still reading it (I actually have a day job to do also so it’s taking time!🤦🏻) I understand there are reports of units where a rite of passage was to be urinated on? If that isn’t there apologies. If it is, I am at a loss to know what theme park those dinosaurs participating were from, because -like ‘stamping-in ceremonies’ for female officers I would have thought that all long gone. The latter ‘ritual was seen as ‘old-hat’ in the mid-late 80s and always related to me as a thing of the past even then. Mind you, in ‘87 I’d have said homophobia was a thing almost of the past. Amongst the ‘younger’ officers of the day NOBODY really cared about what adults got up to IN PRIVATE with consenting adults. That said, cottaging and public sex (Hetero and homo) were crimes and I know I nicked individuals for both, and feel no regret. It’s a sign of societal change that now these are seen as acceptable behaviours and facilitated.
3) Like you, I have to check myself to see I am not defensive about the MPS because some of the evidence adduced that I have read is readable two ways. Bacon in a Muslim officer’s boots is appalling and agree with you, but a Sikh officers turban put in a box… could THAT be an attempt by a tidy officer to look after that officer’s head gear? I’d need to know more.
4) I totally recognise the Met that Casey excoriated and you sim it up above so well I shall move on. Suffice to say your reading is 100% on the money.
5) I personally do not like the word ‘institutional’ . It was used in MacPherson very specifically to mean that policies were in place that discriminated against persons from other ethnic backgrounds and that was bang on. It was unconscious and unintended. The term gets bandied about these days freely but incorrectly. To use it so, in my mind, diminishes the responsibility of the nasty bullies engaging in such behaviour and lessens their culpability. Semantics, maybe, but I feel that is important.
6) Finally, (do I hear cheers?) I believe that whilst there is little I disagree with in Casey from what I have read so far the report is ACTUALLY a Stalking horse for the Home Office and senior county officers on an agenda that’s been going to years to make the Met the ‘Londonshire Constabulary’ with all National functions removed and allocated elsewhere. Of course, that still leaves public order, but I believe the intention is the break the Met into a number of smaller units by ‘dark forces about which we know little’.
Thank you for penning this. Once again I wish I had your skill as a wordsmith
Having taken the time to read the Casey review, I am both appalled but not surprised by the findings. I think that the Met is also guilty of institutional amnesia. For example, it forgot why rape & child abuse investigation became a specialism in its own right with dedicated resources in a single command. Thanks to cost cutting, the command was disbanded & Boroughs left to pick up the pieces with the all too familiar consequences. So many senior Officers, including those who left the Met & have now returned were guilty of institutional deafness. Every Met project was deemed a success, even if it wasn’t. If those who knew better commented negatively upon any project or initiative, they were told that there were being resistant to change. Austerity & budget cuts have hugely contributed to where the Met is today. For me, the Commissioner & Management Board need to be both brave & bold in their response. They should set up an oversight board led by Baroness Casey to ensure that the require changes are made. One thing to consider is disbanding the Parliamentary & Diplomatic Patrol Group. Use private unarmed security for low risk locations/individuals. Use HM Forces for the high risk ones. That’s a 1000 Officers & Staff available to be deployed to Borough. For MO19, implement a limit on the length of time every individual is able to serve within the Unit. Just a couple of ideas to start with in my humble opinion.
If you get the time, this is a thoughtful piece by another crime & Management Board scarred retired police officer.
https://policinglivesmatter.blogspot.com/2023/04/the-casey-review-which-shook-met.html
A well written, informed and humorous article.
Great article. Having read the report, the only bit i disagree with, surprise, surprise, is the allegation of institutional racism. I think it suits the SLT to allow the msm to harp on about this. While they are, the damning, accurate message in the report about the poor and lack of leadership, is washed over.