The Police Are Not the Judge
& Jury, They Only Uphold the Laws
by Nicholas Ashton, CEO/CIO, CommSmart Global Group - Virtual Crime Center
Sir Robert Peels' Nine Peelian Principles:
This #5 Peelian Principle is the heart and soul in terms of separating policing from political influence. Public indulgence is maintained not by providing to the wants and needs of interest groups in our society but rather by complete and total impartial service to the law.
Each and every one of us is considered equal before the law and through observance of the rule of impartiality, the police can make that a reality.
Police policies must not only be autonomous of political influence and they cannot and should not be over-ridden by political agendas. Police policy must provide equivalence of service to all citizens.
Police policies must not only be autonomous of political influence and they cannot and should not be over-ridden by political agendas. Police policy must provide equivalence of service to all citizens.
The factual test of the fairness of a system is the ability to get the identical service and treatment despite the fact that you have no political connections.
This separation of politics and policy does not imply that politicians cannot provide policy direction. It simply means that once the policy has been put in place there should be no attempt by politicians to influence outcomes or interject themselves into situations on a case by case basis. To do so would “pierce the sacred veil of operations”, the veil being the invisible barrier that separates political decision-making from operational decision making.
It is stated loud and clear by many, that the police must refrain from being publicly critical of prevailing legislation. The role of the police is to enforce laws, not to criticize legislation. The police must also refrain from criticizing judicial decisions as doing so undermines the administration of justice.
It is stated loud and clear by many, that the police must refrain from being publicly critical of prevailing legislation. The role of the police is to enforce laws, not to criticize legislation. The police must also refrain from criticizing judicial decisions as doing so undermines the administration of justice.
Criticism of the law and judicial decisions, especially in terms of sentencing decisions, reveals a glaring lack of their understanding of the police role in the criminal justice system. If police officers are not able to accept that at a personal level that they will not agree with some judicial decision then they are in the wrong line of work. Not only will it cause frustration, it may also lead to flawed decision-making and differential treatment of members of the public.
It is particularly bothersome when senior police executives don’t understand their role and make a public comment critical of judicial decisions. Police executives certainly have a role to play in this regard but it should not be one of offering criticism in an open forum. They have access to politicians both on an individual basis and through advocacy organization such as associations of chiefs of police at both the provincial and federal level which afford the opportunity to air their concerns and make recommendations for change.
This #5 Peelian Principle also makes it clear that individual wealth and social standing should not affect the level of service citizens receive from police.
It is particularly bothersome when senior police executives don’t understand their role and make a public comment critical of judicial decisions. Police executives certainly have a role to play in this regard but it should not be one of offering criticism in an open forum. They have access to politicians both on an individual basis and through advocacy organization such as associations of chiefs of police at both the provincial and federal level which afford the opportunity to air their concerns and make recommendations for change.
This #5 Peelian Principle also makes it clear that individual wealth and social standing should not affect the level of service citizens receive from police.
Because these principles were written in the early 1800’s, race is not mentioned as British society at that time was not racially diverse. In modern society, the delivery of police services and race has become an issue and police service delivery must not only be blind in terms of wealth and social standing, it must also be color blind.
The last facet of this #5 Peelian Principle addresses the readiness to make individual sacrifices to protect and preserve life. Police agencies have an obligation to create a safe workplace for police officers through training, policy, procedures and especially the use of the latest technology and appropriate equipment.
It must be recognized that some aspects of police work are inherently dangerous. This principle addresses the issue of officer safety from the perspective of ensuring that procedures do not become so restrictive that the safety of citizens is negatively affected.
CommSmart Global Group, a LexisNexis Risk Solution Partner believe firmly that Sir Robert Peel’s Nine Peelian Principles stand firm today after 187 years of existence. Of course, there are differences and the main one is the use of technology alongside these principles. That is why we will introduce the 10th Peelian Principle at the conclusion of this series.
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Copyright 2016
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