Suella Braverman: why the home secretary can't force the police to cancel a pro-Palestine march
The UK home secretary, Suella Braverman, has reached new heights with her criticism of the Metropolitan police over its handling of pro-Palestinian marches.
- The UK home secretary, Suella Braverman, has reached new heights with her criticism of the Metropolitan police over its handling of pro-Palestinian marches.
- In an op-ed for the Times, reportedly not cleared by Number 10, Braverman accused police of a double standard, treating left-wing marches more leniently than right-wing ones.
- Over the last few days, the Met police have been under pressure to shut down marches planned for Armistice Day in London.
Principles of policing
- But perhaps more shocking is that her comments amount to a public accusation that the police are breaking one of the fundamental principles of British policing, which is to be non-partisan.
- His blueprint for policing included the clear objective that the police would be non-partisan: free from any political interference and not favouring any group, religion, ethnicity or other section of society more than another.
Governing the police
- The local police and crime commissioner is accountable to the public and sets a local policing plan.
- And the home office sets the police pay arrangements, police regulations and standards and provides 50% of police budgets.
It is clear then that Peel’s original aspiration that the police should not become a tool for politicians to misuse is still, on paper at least, alive and well. But the most senior politician responsible for policing is attempting to interfere with their operational independence regarding public order policing – and perhaps bully them into making operational decisions which satisfy a partisan viewpoint.
Undermining trust in the police
- Policing by consent is an oft-used phrase, but it simply means that law-abiding people are prepared to help the police as witnesses to crime, or providing intelligence, while criminals begrudgingly accept the legitimacy of the police.
- Whatever Braverman’s motivation, this precious contract between the police and the British people is now being seriously damaged.
John Fox is a member of the Labour Party.