Some Immediate Observations on Angiolini Part One

As expected Part One of the Angiolini Inquiry Report has generated a lot of publicity.? For armchair strategists like myself there is no alternative but to read the report in full.? I would suggest that this is true of all with ongoing professional and academic links to policing.? The speed with which some have criticised the ‘attack’ on police and have uttered the usual protestations that it is unfair to smear the reputation of the police service because of the actions of individuals suggest that they may have not read the whole report.

It is a simple truth that the majority of police officers are honest, brave and work in the interests of the public.? But it is also true that there is something in policing which allows a tiny minority of officers to behave in awful ways and, moreover, that the police service has been slow to deal with this.?

I will not attempt to summarise the report.? Rather, I will briefly comment on what I see as some of the immediate take aways: ??

VETTING

The offender held a very high level of National Security Vetting.? Four police forces were involved in vetting him at different times in addition to, what is now UKSV.? They all missed important issues and the recommendation of one force (TVP) to another (CNC) was not actioned.

Had those responsible for police vetting not allowed process to usurp their independent thought and curiosity, Couzens may not have held the office of constable for as long as he did (pvi)

Vetting often becomes a passive process.? A ticking of boxes (literally).? Information sharing between forces and departments can be poor.? ‘After care’ (the bit between vetting dates) is often lacking with supervisors receiving little or no training in the area.? This is an area in which I have some experience and I recognise the conclusions and descriptions in the report.

INVESTIGATION

The failure to properly investigate the incidents which preceded the abduction and murder of Sarah Everard are an indictment of the service.? In particular the attitude of the police to the allegations of indecent exposure were woeful.? This plays into a wider concern that detectable offences are not not always being pursued with professional vigour (this is my observation and is not made in the report):

Rather than embarking on a process of detailed, thorough and time-consuming evidence-gathering, the officers displayed apathy and disinterest and found reasons not to pursue the cases (p3)

INDECENT EXPOSURE

The report describes the offence and its development.? Despite the old offences under the Vagrancy Act and the Town Police Clauses Act being swept away 20 years ago the old attitude that this is a ‘nuisance’ offence seems still to have a hold.? The report recommends research into the subject of masturbatory exposure as well as making more immediate recommendations for action by police forces, College of Policing and NPCC.

RECRUITMENT

The report is clear that recruitment (and by implication) training needs to be face to face.? The return of Home Visits before acceptance is recommended, even though there is an acknowledgement that there are downsides to visiting potential officers.? From my, outdated, viewpoint I can’t see how anybody thought it was a good idea to minimise contact between applicants and the force that will employ them.

“Recommendation 7 With immediate effect, the College of Policing, in collaboration with force recruitment, should ensure that every new candidate applying to become a police officer in any police force undergoes an in-person interview and home visit. This should be designed to provide a holistic picture of the candidate and a better understanding of the candidate’s motivations for joining the police and their dedication to serving the public”. (p11

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CULTURE

These quotes speak for themselves:

“As long as vile behaviour and deeply abusive language are normalised and accepted as ‘banter’ in policing culture and elsewhere, people like Couzens will be able to continue to commit atrocious crimes undetected. Many will say that Couzens’ crimes are a world away from the sexist and misogynistic behaviour that exists within policing, but they sit on the same continuum.” (pvii)

“Policing needs to grasp fully the extent of the cultural problems it faces and the way that this affects the public it serves. It needs to do more than make further changes to policies, guidance and training, although these are important and worthwhile. All policing leaders need to rethink fundamentally how they lead their organisations to ensure that certain types of behaviour, from the unacceptable to the criminal, are never tolerated.”? (pvii)

“In the early stages of this Inquiry, the often repeated theory used to explain the abduction, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by a serving constable of the Metropolitan Police Service was one that cast Couzens as a ‘bad apple’, an individual who uniquely tarnished the force’s reputation. Since then, Baroness Casey of Blackstock has taken a wrecking ball to the ‘bad apple’ theory. (p7)

Although Couzens was not wholly a product of his working environments, those environments did nothing to discourage his misogynistic view of women and meant that, as long as he presented himself as professional, his deviant behaviour outside of work could flourish.” (p8)

Recommendation 14 With immediate effect, every police force should commit publicly to being an antisexist, anti-misogynistic, anti-racist organisation in order to address, understand and eradicate sexism, racism and misogyny, contributing to a wider positive culture to remove all forms of discrimination from the profession. This includes properly addressing – and taking steps to root out – so-called ‘banter’ that often veils or excuses malign or toxic behaviour in police ranks.

The recent outpouring of abuse suffered by ACC Findlay on her appointment to British Transport Police – including some comments that may have come from serving police officers – reminds me that the service has a long way to go.? The report makes it clear that this is a leadership issue.

IMPACT

The greatest impact is of course on the criminal’s victims(s) and their families.? As for the impact on the police service the report echoes the words of the sentencing judge:

“This case has left a stain on the reputation of the police service and damaged the social contract on which British policing is based, namely policing by consent”

Policing is faced with a huge challenge.? I commend those that are up for bringing about real change.

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Philip Trendall

February 2024

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https://www.angiolini.independent-inquiry.uk/reports/

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