Blair gvt responded to 9/11 era attacks, the new terrorism, with new strategy, Contest. That was taken by Acpo to allow them to set up National CT Infrastructure which meant end to SB ethicl of specialist experienced intelligence CT officers with careers in countering political violence. CT is a contradiction. Pol don't counter terrorism they react to it, often post event. SB countered terrorism by working to detect and prevent it by knowing and learning about it from those who were closest to it. And from the decades of experience ofvtheir colleagues. The National CT network is a glorified national SO13. Both Blairs and Hayman led the charge, Acpo did the rest.
Box took over the realm of intelligence. After all the Cold War had ended and all those people had nothing to do. So let's get into bed with Whitehall, and hey presto....
When I hear an NPCC rank officer or government minister/senior civil servant say 'look, this stuff is inherently messy, bad people will fall through holes in the system and the risk from people who are mad/sad/bad/offender for a cause will never be entirely eliminated only then will I think we have moved on.
The political/media class operate on the principle that if a bad person does something bad someone in 'authority' must be somehow blameworthy for failing to stop that person. The media/politicians want a single person 'in authority' to pin the blame on. That is easier than saying that this is a complex issue and sometimes people will fall through the net.
The view of a past director of the FBI is that we are now dealing with 'salad bar' extremism whereby individuals will radicalise themselves online and pick from a range of competing ideologies. In short the whole issue is messy and a grey area and we need to pull together intelligence from policing, education, health and other bodies and despite that a bad actor will fall through the gaps. How long before we get a Nazi Marxist radical Islamist environmentalist vegan terrorist?
Salad bar extremism. Excellent. I agree completely with your point, except of course Rudakabana was flagged three times. As ever, the issue is with the processes once persons of concern are identified. Which is a squeamishness around managing risk and policing people.
Love it, thanks once again. The wee quote on the photo ‘The National Police Chief’s Council - tirelessly changing everything except themselves’. Is absolutely bang on the money. I’ve been retired from the RUC (GC)/PSNI now for 14 years this month. I could see the trajectory of the force, sorry ‘service’ long before I left. My wife has 6 years to go (and can’t wait to leave), the stories she tells me deeply saddens me. Lack of funding, no resources (about 1500 officers short of what Patten advised), spineless senior officers, many clearly promoted beyond their abilities, too much political interference and officer morale at its lowest level ever!! I think the new CC John Boucher is a good CC, but he’s fighting a loosing battle, like trying to empty the bathtub with a teaspoon only problem is the taps are still flowing. Policing needs a radical overhaul to make it fit for purpose
Dom, you need to get to a wider audience. Your clarity of thought, and articulation of the facts is better than anybody out there there. Have you thought about it journalism?
You're too kind Simon. I've had two articles published in UnHerd with a third on the way, but I've no ambitions to be a journalist. I just put my stuff out there and hope people like it, talk about it and share it. If anything else comes out of that, then great. I just ask, if people they like my stuff, they spread the word.
My main focus is my fiction, although the market is very, very tough right now.
Unherd is journalism. Legacy msm has had its day. Certainly will never regain its monopoly or predominant spot. Musk said You are the journalists now. On that he is correct.
As an ex-colonial copper, my force 'benchmarked' against the UK forces, particularly the Met, until about a decade ago. Long before that, my colleagues and I could see that certain aspects of British policing were heading off the rails. The lack of funding contributed to the degradation of systems, as did a lack of honesty regarding the challenges faced and the push towards a 'woke culture'—for want of a better term. Until Britain introduces ID cards, controls its borders, and adopts a realistic stance on the threats, no system, reorganisation, or efforts by determined police officers will make a difference. However, I see no appetite for such changes; therefore, I suspect the decline will persist.
Read Ian Blairs book last week. He gives the end of SB five lines. That's it. Started Hayman book today. It's obvious from page 1 that he had what I would see as a perverse view of what 13 did and what he wanted.
Blair gvt responded to 9/11 era attacks, the new terrorism, with new strategy, Contest. That was taken by Acpo to allow them to set up National CT Infrastructure which meant end to SB ethicl of specialist experienced intelligence CT officers with careers in countering political violence. CT is a contradiction. Pol don't counter terrorism they react to it, often post event. SB countered terrorism by working to detect and prevent it by knowing and learning about it from those who were closest to it. And from the decades of experience ofvtheir colleagues. The National CT network is a glorified national SO13. Both Blairs and Hayman led the charge, Acpo did the rest.
Box took over the realm of intelligence. After all the Cold War had ended and all those people had nothing to do. So let's get into bed with Whitehall, and hey presto....
When I hear an NPCC rank officer or government minister/senior civil servant say 'look, this stuff is inherently messy, bad people will fall through holes in the system and the risk from people who are mad/sad/bad/offender for a cause will never be entirely eliminated only then will I think we have moved on.
The political/media class operate on the principle that if a bad person does something bad someone in 'authority' must be somehow blameworthy for failing to stop that person. The media/politicians want a single person 'in authority' to pin the blame on. That is easier than saying that this is a complex issue and sometimes people will fall through the net.
The view of a past director of the FBI is that we are now dealing with 'salad bar' extremism whereby individuals will radicalise themselves online and pick from a range of competing ideologies. In short the whole issue is messy and a grey area and we need to pull together intelligence from policing, education, health and other bodies and despite that a bad actor will fall through the gaps. How long before we get a Nazi Marxist radical Islamist environmentalist vegan terrorist?
Salad bar extremism. Excellent. I agree completely with your point, except of course Rudakabana was flagged three times. As ever, the issue is with the processes once persons of concern are identified. Which is a squeamishness around managing risk and policing people.
Love it, thanks once again. The wee quote on the photo ‘The National Police Chief’s Council - tirelessly changing everything except themselves’. Is absolutely bang on the money. I’ve been retired from the RUC (GC)/PSNI now for 14 years this month. I could see the trajectory of the force, sorry ‘service’ long before I left. My wife has 6 years to go (and can’t wait to leave), the stories she tells me deeply saddens me. Lack of funding, no resources (about 1500 officers short of what Patten advised), spineless senior officers, many clearly promoted beyond their abilities, too much political interference and officer morale at its lowest level ever!! I think the new CC John Boucher is a good CC, but he’s fighting a loosing battle, like trying to empty the bathtub with a teaspoon only problem is the taps are still flowing. Policing needs a radical overhaul to make it fit for purpose
Dom, you need to get to a wider audience. Your clarity of thought, and articulation of the facts is better than anybody out there there. Have you thought about it journalism?
You're too kind Simon. I've had two articles published in UnHerd with a third on the way, but I've no ambitions to be a journalist. I just put my stuff out there and hope people like it, talk about it and share it. If anything else comes out of that, then great. I just ask, if people they like my stuff, they spread the word.
My main focus is my fiction, although the market is very, very tough right now.
Unherd is journalism. Legacy msm has had its day. Certainly will never regain its monopoly or predominant spot. Musk said You are the journalists now. On that he is correct.
As an ex-colonial copper, my force 'benchmarked' against the UK forces, particularly the Met, until about a decade ago. Long before that, my colleagues and I could see that certain aspects of British policing were heading off the rails. The lack of funding contributed to the degradation of systems, as did a lack of honesty regarding the challenges faced and the push towards a 'woke culture'—for want of a better term. Until Britain introduces ID cards, controls its borders, and adopts a realistic stance on the threats, no system, reorganisation, or efforts by determined police officers will make a difference. However, I see no appetite for such changes; therefore, I suspect the decline will persist.
Great insights. Thanks Dom.
Read Haymans book. What a total cu** of a man..
Read Ian Blairs book last week. He gives the end of SB five lines. That's it. Started Hayman book today. It's obvious from page 1 that he had what I would see as a perverse view of what 13 did and what he wanted.