Peter Neyroud to speak at Teesside University

The new police professional body to support officers, as proposed by former Police Chief Peter Neyroud CBE QPM, will be launched in December and Peter will be discussing his hopes and fears for it at Teesside University.

Peter’s proposals to the current government for a professional body that would oversee police standards, was taken up by Home Secretary Theresa May – and the Police Professional Body (PPB) or 'National College of Policing' takes over responsibility from the National Policing Improvement Agency for developing professional skills and leadership in the police service from December.

Ahead of that, Peter is talking about its inception at Teesside University in a free lecture on 6 November at 5.00pm – 7.00pm. Peter’s principle focus will be to discuss ‘police professionalism and legitimacy’.

He said: 'I am thoroughly committed to using evidence when developing professionalism and accountability within the police. It is the best way to tackle crime particularly in deprived areas where crime is more prevalent. It is also the best way to use the increasingly scarce resources in policing.

'The aim of the new College of Policing is, as an independent professional body, to help transform the police and to oversee and measure policing against a transparent standard that the public can see.

'It’s about training and developing police officers and police leaders better and it is crucial that universities like Teesside University work with the new College and invest in police training. It is something Teesside University can be proud of as it has long been committed to the investment in police training.'

Recent events such as the deaths of PC Nicola Hughes and PC Fiona Bone, the row over Tory Chief Whip Andrew Mitchell allegedly calling a police officer a ‘pleb’ outside Downing Street, and the police cover-up over the Hillsborough disaster has seen public sympathy constantly shifting. “There hasn’t been an era since the 1960s when we have seen change on this scale in the police,” says Peter.

It is why, with the abolition of the National Policing Improvement Agency and the introduction of Crime Commissioners, he believed that there was a big gap with no effective provision for the training and development of police officers which he proposed be filled by the world’s first professional body for policing.

'There has to be high quality training and practice standards. For example, there is always a call for more officers on the beat but it is a waste of money if this is random and there isn’t an evidence based plan to deploy them where they can be most effective. It’s about using professional skills to achieve better results and advancing the police service so it is seen as more legitimate by the public.' Peter said.

'The new College of Policing faces huge challenges to make its mark with reducing resources. I would like to ensure it doesn’t fall into the trap of producing reams of guidance documents. It needs to be more about how police officers are recruited and developed and this means having a strong relationship with higher education providers like Teesside.

'Another key recommendation is that police officers should join the force with a very practice based level four qualification (equivalent to a foundation degree) and that is beginning to happen. I also want to see managers in forces better qualified in leadership and management which is vital.'

And Peter believes there will be a lot for the force to contend with in the coming months: 'The public are already noticing that a 20% cut in funding of the police service means fewer police in their communities and already there are signs of a rise in complaints of police not attending call-outs. Resources are beginning to be pretty stretched.

'Policing in this age of austerity mean it will be hard to sustain neighbourhood policing and response times may suffer. Forces have to juggle investigating crimes, responding to calls and problem solving – they may find it hard to do all three. Cutting back on forensic science costs will be problematic, for example, this is the most effective way of detecting burglars and serious criminals – the longer it takes to catch a burglar the more active he or she is so there will be an immediate rise in homes burgled.

'It is time to reinvent policing and base what forces do on evidence, remembering that prevention is always less costly than cure.'

Ian Pepper, Principal Lecturer in Law and Policing, said: 'We are delighted to welcome Peter to Teesside. It is a fantastic opportunity to hear him talk about the future of policing and of particular interest here where we are heavily involved in police education and training.'

About Peter Neyroud Peter served for 30 years with the police in Hampshire, West Mercia, Thames Valley (as their Chief Constable) and the National Policing Improvement Agency (as the Chief Constable and Chief Executive Officer). While creating the NPIA he was also the Home Office Director for Police ICT and Forensic Science.

He has provided strategic police training in Australia, USA, India and Israel, and acts as an independent strategic policing advisor to a number of countries and private sector suppliers.

Peter has authored a number of publications, mainly in relation to Police ethics, values and human rights. He has led a Review of Police Leadership and Training for the Home Office which was published in 2011. Among a number of review recommendations, Peter proposes the creation of a new single professional body for policing and changes to both police training and leadership development.

Peter was appointed as a Visiting Fellow at Teesside University in January 2012.

---