In view of the fact the ACPO are currently selling out police services in a back door conspiracy with Police Authorities I am resurrecting this post which I had abandoned not so long ago. In this post I have to thank Mr Derek Smith, formerly of the West Midlands Police, for not being able to keep it in his trousers, allegedly, for providing me with today’s new “learn something new every day” fact. In fact Mr Smith’s alleged indiscretion has meant that I have learned 2 things.

The first thing I have learned is that if a cop is caught shagging on duty then he is invariably charged with the criminal offence of misconduct in a public office. You don’t realise just how many times I check that I have put an ‘L’ in public. Yet when a civilian finance director for West Midlands Police is caught with his pants down, so to speak, he is allowed to retire from a job paying £121,000. Surely, if a civilian member of staff is doing a police job then they are in a public office.

Secondly, despite never having ever been a police officer, he was a member of the Association of Chief Police Officers, that well known business organisation which represents their own interests and not any of the general public. On their website they have the following headline:

The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) brings together the expertise and experience of chief police officers from England, Wales and Northern Ireland, providing a professional forum to share ideas and best practice, co-ordinate resources and help deliver effective policing which keeps the public safe.

Their membership page states further:

There are presently 334 members of ACPO. Collectively, the 334 leading police executives provide a critical and an informed understanding of the complexity of policing at local, regional and national levels. Chief officers’ work through ACPO is ‘on top of the day job’ and attracts no additional remuneration.

The question I ask is whether ACPO policy is affected or influenced by persons who are not police officers? Mr Smith may be the best counter of cash in the world but what does he know about policing? It appears that his best efforts have been to resist the payment of legitimately incurred expenses, so it seems only natural that he should be able to advise on ACPO policy. Are there others like him similarly providing an “informed” understanding by sub contracting police duties to the highest bidder?

These people are running the police forces of this country. Take a look at the official press release from ACPO. Should we be worried? Dead right we should!