[Mark Davies]

Originally Posted by clockworkdog

I find it hard to believe that you flatly refuse to do what is asked of you otherwise you would not still have a job.

Actually, I do. I have had several toe-to-toe arguments with my inspectors who wanted some child charged for some pathetic little infringement just to get a detection. I find when I challenge them and put it directly to them that they are only making the demands that they are because they want figures then they tend to back down - and after that they leave me alone.

I'm not placing all the blame at the inspectors' feet. Yes, there are PCs who capitulate and gleefully run around dishing out FPNs for fun to keep their figures up. And their reasons are no different than the inspectors - they do it through fear. The inspectors are afraid of humiliation at the Grip meetings so bully their PCs, who do what they are told in fear of their livlihood because they've been threatened with losing their SPP or CRTP.

I'm entitled to CRTP but I don't claim it. Sure, that costs me £1000+ per year but I refuse to give them the opportunity to threaten to take it away from me. That's how far my principles stretch.

I just find it a shame that nobody higher up the chain seems to share the same principles and is prepared to put their neck out for something they believe in. I put more blame at the inspectors' feet because they are the ones primarily responsible for delivering the policy. They don't produce the sanction detections personally - but they are the ones putting relentless pressure on their staff.

And of course the real blame goes higher up. I took my former BCU commander to task about it regularly, I've given grief to an ACC. I've even raised it with Sir Ronnie Flannaghan. The problem is these guys believe what they are doing is improving detection rates and that's a good thing. They are too far removed from what is actually happening at street level and can't seem to understand the abuses going on. Or rather - I suspect - they are just prepared to turn a blind eye to it just as long as their figures are looking good.

You guys in your forces might be different - and I'm glad of that and can understand you being defensive. But you have to take it from me, your counterparts in GMP are almost without exception exactly as I describe. It is now the pervading culture within our force - and it stinks.