It is a common feature of feedback to the police that we need to get better at “communication” and “de-escalation”.  When one looks at incidents like the “Humberside Taser” incident or the “Manchester Handcuffs” incident, the importance of patience, prioritising dignity and using force “only as a last resort” are a regular features. I have […]

On more than one occasion I have been involved in the discussion that arises from the taken-for-granted proposition that the police must need “more mental health training”. From the record, at the outset, I want to say that I agree. We can hardly countenance the idea that officers are adequately trained if we are seeing […]

In the police, we take deliberate decisions to ruin lives and we do it every day. In so doing, those decisions often bring officers into direct conflict with the aims of other organisations, including other public sector authorities. Although this feature of our work does not make us unique, we have that duty to act […]