Met police firearms

[Fedster + 1,307]

The home secretary is to tell police officers he understands how “hard and horrible” their work can be because of watching his brother’s career.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/sajid-javid-home-secretary-police-brother-job-bas-federation-speech-a8364361.html

[HazRat 762]

Let’s  wait for the ‘but’ part of the speech later.

[Chief Bakes 6,479]

Sajid Javid pledges more funding for overstretched police

• 23 May 2018
• comments

Image copyright Reuters

Sajid Javid has promised to ensure police officers have the resources they need to meet their challenges.

The home secretary, whose brother is a chief superintendent in West Midlands, pledged in his first speech to the Police Federation to provide the "tools and powers" frontline officers needed.

He said: "I've seen the impact the job has had on family life."

His predecessors were often criticised by the federation for cutting police budgets.

Mr Javid became home secretary in April, after Amber Rudd resigned her position amid the Windrush revelations.

The federation, which represents rank-and-file officers across England and Wales, has previously shown home secretaries a frosty reception.

As of September there were 121,929 officers across the 43 forces, a fall of nearly 20,000 people compared to 10 years ago.

Police cuts have come under scrutiny after figures have shown an increase in knife and gun crime.

In London 52 people were killed in the first 100 days of 2018, which raised serious concerns about a rise in violent crime.

Mr Javid hoped to repair that relationship in his inaugural speech to the body.

He said: "I'm not arrogant enough to turn up here after three weeks in the job and tell you how to do yours.

"What I will say is that I am listening and I get it. I get that there's increased demand."

Referring to his brother, he added: "He's been hurt more times than I want to know from being assaulted on duty.

"I've seen the impact the job has on family life. And, as you would expect from a brother, he doesn't shield me from the truth."

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Media captionIn 2015 Theresa May told officers to stop "crying wolf"

Speaking before Mr Javid, Police Federation chairman Calum Macleod called for the government's support and asked it to "agree that [emergency workers] are not society's punch bags for those fuelled by drink and drugs, or trying to evade arrest".

View the full article

[Radman + 2,163]

Seems promising, the fact his brother is also a fairly senior serving officer shows promise that he will have far more insight and understanding on matters.

[Mac7 808]

Words are nothing without actions.

I shall wait and see.

[David + 4,981]

Yeah yeah yeah. Yawn yawn yawn. Blah blah blah. Heard it all before, over and over.

Quote

Sajid Javid pledges he is 'standing with' police in first speech

And your second and subsequent speeches?

[Beaker 817]

Give him a chance. He MIGHT be able to get stuff done. Not exactly hopeful, but he has made a fee good noises.

[ParochialYokal 1,119]

Fair play to him. All he needs to do is the opposite of his predecessors.

It is not just cheap populism to be supportive of the police. His comments today about backing spithoods, for example, are symbolic- he is saying that Chief Officers should consider officer safety over and above public perception.

Perhaps what the police service needs is a supportive Home Secretary.

I am not a Tory but I think he has given some positive signals in how he intends to approach the policing and immigration components of his portfolio. As he inherited a poisoned chalice and as Maybot is preoccupied with Brexit, I imagine that he has enough of a free reign to make things happen.

I think that he should be given a chance, as his actions so far are actually quiet credible and congruent.

[David + 4,981]

Yes they are all fine words, and ones the police need and deserve to hear. But the proof is in the pudding, and the nation has been promised this that and the other each and every time there is a new broom and what changes? Nothing.

Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime, understand a little less and condemn a little more, automatic jail sentences for this that and the other; over and over similar platitudes and each time we hear the same old platitudes.

When Mr Javid starts to deliver on his grand words then great. Until then I shall continue to treat him with the suspicion and cynicism that 55 years has bred.

[James255 + 26]

The tone of his speech was worlds apart from the tone of the speeches made by May and Rudd at the previous conferences. They sounded so aggressive. Mr Javid actually seemed like he understood some of the issues, he even alluded to the fact that just because screams of racism are made about stop and search, it doesn't matter, because they're the community most likely to be victims of knife crime. He also said that he doesn't think police need degrees.

I think he's in quite a difficult position, because even if he wanted to (I'm not saying he does) criticise the way previous home secretaries have handled a certain thing, he can't, because May is now prime minster.

Edited May 23, 2018 by James255

[JulietAlpha1 + 515]

I’m interested to see how this turns out. It sounds positive at the minute but he’s got the same PM as Rudd did. I just can’t see how he’s going to look at resolving what’s gone on in the last 8 years with May In overall command.

[Zulu 22 + 4,576]

He will have to be strong as it was his Prime Minister who was responsible for the changes to Police Funding, wages and Pensions. Rudd was |May's Yes woman.  I am sure that Javid's brother being on the job would have a huge influence, giving him a far better insight.

[Fedster + 1,307]

'Don't put words in my mouth.'.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid

The new Home Secretary’s first public encounter with the policing community marked a stark contrast to his predecessor’s “put your pens away” speech last November.

Sajid Javid made crowd-pleasing promises to prioritise police funding at next spending review while also looking at misconduct investigation deadlines.

He went out on a limb to make a good impression, emphasising his close connection with his chief superintendent brother.

His stories of playing at CrimeStoppers while growing up in a deprived Bristol street were a hit, as were his comments that he did not see why police officers needed a degree or why police chiefs won’t give their officers spit guards.

The talk set a markedly different tone to former Home Secretary Amber Rudd’s speech to police chiefs and police and crime commissioners last year in which she said when crime goes up “I don’t want to see you reaching for a pen to write a press release asking for more money.”

But when asked afterwards whether in his view there is a link between crime and resource Mr Javid hit back “don’t go putting words in my mouth”.

He distanced himself from hints in his speech that he is breaking with government denials that police cuts have led to an increase in crime.

“Let me be clear. I am not saying that but what I am saying though is I fully accept resourcing is an issue if we are to expect our police force, as we all do, to meet rising demand,” he said during a brief press conference.

He said rising crime is as a result of increased reporting of historic sex offences and domestic abuse, cyber crime and the impact of county lines on the illegal drug market.  

“I’m looking ahead at demand. For those who say the rise in serious violent crime is only because of a cut in police resource I do throw out there that there was a rise ten years ago - quite a significant rise [in crime] - and at that time police numbers were much higher than they were today.”

When asked whether he could commit to increase police funding beyond flat cash and precept, he said funding was always a “collective decision of government”.

“What I promised today is I will prioritise police funding when it comes to spending review.

“The starting point of getting to the right outcome on resources is obviously having the department responsible pushing in the right direction.

“I think as I look at all the demands that are now being faced and the gap between capacity and demand, there needs to be more resourcing put into policing.”

View On Police Oracle

The back peddling has begun, likely to disappoint a few people on this forum. 

[IrateShrike + 1,847]

I don't believe it one bit.

Due to the odious conduct of his predecessors, he only has to bat his eyelids and he will suddenly get the attention of hundreds of thousands of people.