The Policing Pledge

The Policing PledgeAuthor: Aran LackeyEarlier this month, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith congratulated Essex Police on being the first force in the country to publicly roll out the new Policing Pledge, a series of minimum standards and commitments to deliver set policing priorities for local communities. But while the Government and senior officers such as Essex Chief Constable Roger Baker believe the new pledge is an essential part of the future of policing, other officers have voiced concerns about how realistic it will be for forces to meet the pledge, particularly without additional funding. And the initiative also has its critics outside of the police service. All 43 forces in England and Wales should have signed up to the pledge by the end of the year, but the TaxPayers Alliance group has described the move as a "costly charade", accusing the service of wasting money while "stating the blindingly obvious". So where does the Policing Pledge come from, and why is it seen by some as an essential plank of modern policing? The recent origins of the initiative can be found in three key documents - the Flanagan Review of Policing, the Engaging Communities in Fighting Crime report by Louise Casey, and the Government's Policing Green Paper - although the roots of many of the principles of the pledge can be traced back much further. In his report published earlier this year, Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Sir Ronnie Flanagan called for police forces to adopt a much stronger "customer service" approach.

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