Police leaders united in ensuring public put first

The heads of the three policing organisations in England and Wales are joining forces to discuss ways of ensuring the public continue to be put first in policing at the pre-election conferences of the main political parties.

Sir Hugh Orde, President of ACPO, Chief Superintendent Irene Curtis, President of the Police Superintendents’ Association of England and Wales, and Inspector Steve White, Chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, will address some of the key issues facing the service at the Policing Fringe events in September and October.

The events, chaired by Mark Williams-Thomas, will be an open discussion between national politicians and policing representatives who are at the forefront of leading and effecting change on what ‘good’ policing looks like and how to achieve it.

Each event provides a timely opportunity to debate the future of the service and to consider how to continue delivering effectively at all levels, looking ahead at where policing and crime will sit in the run up to next year’s General Election.

The fringe events will focus on three key areas:

• What do we want our police service to look like and to deliver?
• How do we promote integrity and transparency within the service?
• How do we respond to the changing nature of crime?

Sir Hugh Orde, who will speak on the impact of future and historic crime, said: “The world is changing and we need to change with it. International and organised crime, cybercrime and terrorism are asking difficult questions of police forces which cannot be ignored. Twenty-first century threats demand twenty-first century solutions and it is our responsibility, as leaders of the service, to spearhead that process.'

Ch Supt Irene Curtis, who will address issues of integrity and transparency, said: “The police service needs to have the highest levels of trust and public confidence. That is how and why we police by consent in the UK. As officers we are all ambassadors for the service and everything we do, every decision we take, should have the best interests of the public and of justice at its heart. As police leaders we have a responsibility to ensure these are not just aspirational words, but reality.”

Insp Steve White, who will talk about structural reform and ways of delivering policing, said: “The recent report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, ‘Policing in austerity: meeting the challenge’ made clear that, in the absence of additional funding, some forces will need to collaborate more or change how policing is organised. This is not a debate we can put off; we need to ask what people want from their police service, agree what we can do and ensure we have a structure fit for purpose and able to deliver it.”

Notes to Editors

The Policing Fringe Events are:

Labour Party Conference, Manchester

Tuesday 23rd September 2014

Guest speaker Jack Dromey MP, Shadow Police Minister

Conservative Party Conference, Birmingham,

Tuesday 30th September 2014

Guest speaker Steven Greenhalgh, Deputy MOPAC London

Liberal Democrat Party Conference, Glasgow

Monday 6th October 2014

Guest Speaker Norman Baker MP, Minister of State for Crime Prevention

You can follow events on Twitter through the hashtag #PolicingFringe.

For further information please contact:

Association of Chief Police Officers

Georgina Wade, 0207 084 8411 georgina.wade@acpo.pnn.police.uk

Police Superintendents’ Association of England and Wales

Lorraine Homer, 07758 217656 lorraine.homer@policesupers.com

Police Federation of England and Wales

Press Office, 01372 352018 media@polfed.org