Police officers ‘must be allowed to make mistakes’

POLICE officers are human and must be allowed to make mistakes, the President of the Superintendents’ Association of England and Wales has urged.

Gavin Thomas, speaking at the association’s annual conference in Stratford-upon-Avon, said: “As a service, we must in future respond quickly and positively when things go wrong.”

He added: “We make mistakes. I am not afraid to say we will always make mistakes. We make mistakes because police officers are human. Sometimes, this fact seems to be overlooked.

“We need to recognise when what we have done has failed, learn by that experience, and bring about change to ensure that policing improves for the public good.

“However, this will be dependent on developing a culture in policing in which people and organisations are capable of swiftly reflecting on what went wrong, without the need for lengthy investigation.”

Mr Thomas said it was up to the service to demonstrate to the public that when things go wrong, it has learned and changed as a result.

The Association has also called for licensing for Superintendents in public protection roles so that they can be sure they get the training and development they need.

Mr Thomas said: “This is not only for the benefit of the people working in public protection but ultimately for the benefit of the public.

“It seems to me a legitimate question to ask why we have standards, accreditation and skills to practice in say firearms, public order and driving patrol cars, but no requirement when protecting children and vulnerable people? How can this be right?”

The College of Policing is now implementing this recommendation.