‘Met police will be world’s best’ vows Hogan-Howe
As Scotland Yard’s new commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe pledges to make the country’s biggest police force the “best in the world,” his appointment still rankles with some officers across the country.
Mr Hogan-Howe, the ex-chief constable of Merseyside police, has addressed the Metropolitan Police‘s officers, telling them: “I want to make the Met the best police service in the world.
“It is my intention to build on public trust in the Met and lead a service that criminals will fear, and staff will be proud to work for.
“As commissioner, I have three simple aims: I want us to cut crime, cut costs, and continue to develop the culture of the organisation, and to do all that based on simple but important values of humility, transparency and integrity.
“We will do that through what I call total policing.”
Mr Hogan-Howe’s bold vision is not new. He pledged in equally bold language to reverse the fortunes of Merseyside police upon his appointment as head of the force there in 2005.
On his departure from Merseyside for the Met in 2009, Mr Hogan-Howe left behind a constabulary that had gone from second bottom (out of 43) in the British Crime Survey’s public confidence table to the top of the list.
That turnaround was due partly to the reduction of crime by 29 per cent and antisocial behaviour by 25 per cent, while simultaneously dispensing with middle management and increasing the number of frontline officers by 9 per cent.
Mr Hogan-Howe, 53, replaces Sir Paul Stephenson, who quit in July amid criticism over his handing of the phone-hacking scandal. He was named acting deputy commissioner when Tim Godwin became acting commissioner following Sir Paul’s resignation.
1979: South Yorkshire Police
1997: Assistant Chief Constable, Merseyside
2001: Assistant Commissioner, Metropolitan Police
2004: Chief Constable of Merseyside
2009: HM Inspectorate of Constabulary
Internet criticism
Despite his formidable credentials, based on hard statistics, there is some scepticism about the Sheffield-born policeman among some officers across the country, if some internet forums used by police personnel are an indicator.
That scepticism is based on Mr Hogan-Howe’s association with the Conservative Party as a whole, and Home Secretary Theresa May in particular.
On UK Police Online, Maverick22, an officer from an unspecified force, writes: “So Ms May has got the man she wanted and someone who will not cross her. In my opinion the best man did not get the job, because Ms May wanted someone who would obey her, and not rock the boat. I wonder how long Bernard will last.”
There was apparent disgruntlement about Sir Hugh Orde – who had been a frontrunner leading up to the announcement – being overlooked for the job, also appears to be a sore point for many officers.
At one point Sir Hugh, along with Mr Godwin, was 5-1 favourite to land the role, second favourites to Sara Thornton (2-1), and some way ahead of Mr Hogan-Howe on 10-1.
Sir Hugh was deemed the preferred candidate by the two official panels convened by the Home Office and the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA), but his criticism of government plans for police reforms is thought to have severely dented his chances of landing the role.
Without specifying his preferred candidate for the role, forum user Netto, an officer from an unspecified force, writes: “The real man for the job was denied the opportunity on the grounds he would have shown May up for what she really is.”
And Melapa, writing in the Police Oracle forum, bemoaned Sir Hugh being left on the sidelines.
“I have never worked under Bernard Hogan-Howe, but have worked under Hugh Orde, the one thing that Sir Hugh always said while policing in NI was, that we were the front line, not him…and it was Mr Orde who said that it was the police, on the ground who would make the difference!” the officer commented.
But others reserve judgement; it only being Mr Hogan-Howe’s first day as Britain’s most senior policeman.
James c lauds his as a “No nonesense (sic) operator cut his teeth as CC (chief constable) in Merseyside…” And M&MBM writes: “Give the guy a chance. It’s quite a poisoned chalice, this.”
Highs
2007-08: Universally praised for his handling of the investigation into the murder of 11-year-old Rhys Jones, shot dead in a Liverpool park. Detectives use a teenage supergrass as key witness for the prosecution in the trail which results in Sean Mercer’s murder conviction just over a year after the crime.
2005-09: Takes Merseyside police from 42nd (out of 43 forces in Britain) in terms of public confidence to top spot in less than five years.
Lows
2009: Criticised for taking a £22,178 bonus in the year he steps down as Merseyside chief constable.
2009: PC Steve Bettley, a serving Merseyside police officer and Hogan-Howe’s driver is sacked after being named in a leaked list of British National Party (BNP) members.
Mr Hogan-Howe’s hardline “total policing” policies will involve saturating London’s streets with thousands of officers on two days a month, seizing uninsured cars and displaying them in public and setting up a specialist unit to combat gang-related crime and forcing drink drivers and problem drinkers to face sobriety tests twice a day with the threat of jail if they continue drinking.
They are initiatives lambasted by some police forum users, including nigeltm, who writes: “Twice daily sobriety tests? On what grounds? Would he make it illegal for them to drink any alcohol at all by court order?
“Flooding the streets in single crime crackdowns? So more cancelled rest days and unpaid overtime?
“For once it would be nice to have someone come into a high profile role and take the time to look at what needs to be done.”
Mr Hogan-Howe becomes the 26th person to lead the Met and will take charge of 32,000 officers.