Lee Broadbent

Working to end the monopoly on police representation creating choice that reflect’s the diverse voices of police officers. Founder @The_NPA_Uk #BreakTheMonopoly

[GB Politics @GBPolitcs]

🚨NEW: Kent police has thanked a van driver for assisting an armed officer chasing a suspect in Thanet

[Jonathan Hinder MP @Jonathan_Hinder]

Identity politics and neoliberal capitalism go hand-in-hand 🤝

Here’s why, as a socialist, I disagree with divisive identity politics 🌹

[Graham Goulden @Graham_Goulden]

The title of this came after reading a series of academic papers on workplace culture. We often see culture as helping & protecting good people. For me its also about protecting the good in people.

This piece links todays report into maternity failures

https://t.co/k3JqiWaQYD

[Lee Broadbent @leembroad]

I don’t disagree. But elements of the equality act and specifically the PSED were legislated because that wasn’t happening. We have a duty to be demonstrable impartial to the law, acting without fear or favour and in this regard the Equality Act and PSED is law.

Now there is defiantly a debate to be had as to how far that duty extends and where the line is between the police’s PSED and what is then seen as activism. In terms of the police being instructed to take an active role at Pride, or instructed to take the knee etc I happen to agree with the CC as I have stated before.

BUT the office of Constable is a position held by an individual and as such the discharge of its duties are to balanced by the individual who has possession of all the circumstances relevant at the time and who is often best placed, and trusted, to make decisions. A foundation of our policing by consent model. So, If that Constable is tasked with policing an event, has insight to that particular event and community and decides to participate by dancing, or even kneeling, then that is their decision and whilst I may not choose to do so, they can and are empowered to make it.

The issue I have is the contradiction in his approach to this. There is certainly a wider public and political debate taking place and it’s likely that alterations will be made to legislation. He says the police should not involve themselves in these discussions and yet he has involved himself. As a high profile character, his words and intervention carry weight and have been viewed by some as a row back on the policies he accepted and thus risk’s giving the impression that he is taking sides which could alienate some communities.

The police have been put in an invidious position here, and there is certainly a rub between peelian principles - often cited to underscore the duties of the office of Constable - and the legislation as it stands, specifically PSED.

[Lee Broadbent @leembroad]

I’m not convinced that declaring oneself, or at least continually aligning oneself, to the title of being ‘anti woke’ (whatever that is) is the bastion of policing’s demonstrable impartiality that he seems to think it is?

Such a declaration is simply an alignment with a counter political argument to the same broad topic.

Equally, fully accepting and committing to imminent the policing race action plan in 2022 - acknowledging its importance in providing the framework in which to better understand community needs - only now to seemingly row back as the political wind changes, is not ,dare I say, strong leadership.

https://t.co/w2qpUCu1zM

[Lee Broadbent @leembroad]

@ThronglerX @DomAdlerUK In some instances, I would agree. But critical thinking has been declining across all sections of society for some time now.

[Lee Broadbent @leembroad]

I take no issue with policing being demonstrably impartial or revisiting all the erosions to the office of Constable - including the erosion of discretion which has been replaced by positive action arrest policies - what I take issue with is the contradiction in his approach.

In the article he suggests we keep ourselves out of the debate until such a point the legislation is drafted and then we involve ourselves as it will be our duty to impartially discharge that law. But he hasn’t done that and instead by embracing the position of being ‘anti woke’ he has aligned himself, and his officers, to one side of an ongoing political argument after previously adopting, embracing and incorporating the recomendations of the Race Action Plan in 2022 into GMP policies.

It may well now be politically shrewd and advantageous to align to a position, but it does not align with the principle of demonstrable impartiality - which he has also suggested would be better observed by saying nothing and simply getting on with job and applying the legislation as it currently stands - which means abiding by the equality act and the public sector equality duties therein.

[Lee Broadbent @leembroad]

@redandwhite1874 Where have I said that those are not laudable aims or somewhere where policing should be? I’ve simply pointed out that by entering the debate he has himself picked a side of a politically contested argument which is not, in its truest sense, demonstrably impartial.

[Lee Broadbent @leembroad]

@InspM0r0s3 Spot on, and in this regard many would argue, from both sides of the woke/anti woke two teir/not two teir debates, that the police are often very good at talking but not very good at doing. Easier to talk and give the perception of change than actually do and show the change.

[Lee Broadbent @leembroad]

Quite. And I also think, that given the well documented failings in policing’s recent history around the policing of some of our marginalised and disadvantaged communities, that it may take more than a commitment not to be homophobic, racist or mysoginistic/sexist… given we shouldn’t have been any of those in the first place if we had adopted true impartiality… and regaining trust where we have previously failed may well need more of a commitment to be different.

Indeed, his stance within force on things such as alleged misogyny and sexism etc and the increased number of dismissals to show strength and attempt to regain public trust in light of Cousens and Carrick etc, is demonstration that sometimes rather overt examples of just how you have and/or intend to change, are, as he has argued, needed…

[Lee Broadbent @leembroad]

@DomAdlerUK Ok pal.

[Lee Broadbent @leembroad]

That’s your interpretation of woke. I’ve seen others which suggest its meaning is being alert and attentive to systemic racial prejudice and social injustice. That’s why I put ‘whatever that means’ as there’s no solid definition and I’ve not seen an explanation from him as to what he feels being anti woke is. That’s where it becomes problematic as if you align to the interpretation of being alert to racial prejudice and social injustice, being anti those things as a police chief is highly problematic.

[Lee Broadbent @leembroad]

@BriW74 @HicksonMark I don’t disagree

[Lee Broadbent @leembroad]

So that’s a choice the force has made. It’s not their legal responsibility and if there loosing at ET’s on grounds of discrimination it’s an indicator that they are getting decisions wrong. Non of that is the individual officers fault and nor does it point to a culture of people swinging the led. It points to lack of investment, training and understanding of their legal duties and process/policies of managing disabled officers.

[Lee Broadbent @leembroad]

I don’t believe the roles are being created for restricted officers but are created because there is, rightly or wrongly, a need for them because of X,Y,Z new politically driven policy/target/programme.
The fact that they are then filled by restricted officers makes sense.

If tge force are creating roles specifically for restricted cops, then that’s a decision they have made. There’s no requirement in the equalities act to create roles, the requirement is to accommodate where possible. If no accommodation can be reasonably made, the force can look to use regulations to exit the officer fairly.

[Lee Broadbent @leembroad]

Same arguments used in the Windsor report to cause division and an erosion of terms of conditions.

Then as now, regulations allow the job to properly manage its staff, gather evidence of poor performance etc and exit - even stages of UPP/UAP cut from 6 fo 4, but as we often see, the job often fails to follow its own policy and instead resorts to poor practice and bullying culture knowing the individual cop often has little support and no recourse to legally resist given the sorry state of the Fed.

If presenteeism is the problem - people attending work but doing very little - maybe the job should look at what is driving that behaviour from what are (or at least were) dedicated public servants willing to put their job before most other things in their lives?
From my experience, most cops on restricted duties want to be in work and want to contribute to the team performance as fully as they can. More often than not, poor management decisions, driven by a lack of understanding, training or willingness to accommodate adjusted officers occasionally leads to targeted bullying/behaviour and/or discrimination.

[Lee Broadbent @leembroad]

I don’t disagree, but from what I’ve seen, that’s not what is always happening here. In cases brought to my attention the restricted officer is often already in a post where accommodation has been made. A review has been conducted, which the force are entitled to do, and the officer is then given a hobsons choice to co time working at the same location but on differant terms or offered a role which accommodates to all current conditions but now located at the other side of the force.

[Lewis Goodall @lewis_goodall]

Steve Bray blasting Ode to Joy, ruining nationally historic moments like this for us and posterity, is a complete disgrace. A yob.

[Lee Broadbent @leembroad]

@greenotherushes @JayDarkmoore Or they can tell you to jog on, stop obstructing them or continue and get nicked yourself.