Best Form of Defence
'Attack is the best form of defence', so they say and the Police Federation seem to be putting that old maxim into practice with an attempt to deflect attention away from their own organisation and on to to the Met Police which - all of a sudden - is being accused of operating in a climate of fear.
Now I suspect that the Police Federation, the police trade union, is part of the problem given its performance during the Plebgate affair which has portrayed the organisation and some of its leading figures in a terrible light.
I remember when Unison came into existence by way of a three way merger between three independent unions (Cohse, Nalgo and Nupe) in 1993 - an all staff survey suggested that 40% of employees had been victims of bullying although this claim was not supported by any evidence that bullying really was taking place on such a grand scale.
Which meant that no one paid it any attention even though bullies existed inside the trade union movement just like any other comparable organisation.
I would take the whole business more seriously if there were any evidence of the Police Federation exposing wrongdoing inside the police force - over the Hillsborough Disaster, for example, or the Plebgate affair, but its track record is not good in these areas and until I see some persuasive evidence to the contrary, I will continue to regard the police trade union as part of the problem.
Met Police has 'culture of fear', officers say
By Danny Shaw
BBC News
The report includes criticism that officers are regularly "named and shamed with a league table"
There is a "culture of fear" in the Metropolitan Police because of the "draconian" use of performance targets, a report into the force has said.
It calls some targets "meaningless" and "unrealistic" - and says others are "disguised" by senior officers.
The report was compiled by the Met Police Federation from interviews and surveys with 250 officers.
Scotland Yard denied claims of a "bullying culture" and said it made "no excuses" for valuing performance.
The report, submitted to Met Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe and other senior officers, follows a warning from Home Secretary Theresa May that police performance targets are making a "comeback".
Mrs May - who has scrapped most centrally-imposed police targets - told a conference in September that performance measures were being reintroduced by some forces as a "security blanket".
The Met Police Federation, which represents about 30,000 officers at the rank chief inspector and below, says "never before" have targets been applied with "such determination" as they currently are in the Met - the UK's biggest force.
The federation says officers who fall short are subject to "unjust punishments" or made to comply with an "action plan", which is "merely an excuse" for more targets.'Constant threat'
One officer told the report: "Every month we are named and shamed with a league table by our supervisors, which does seem very bullying/overbearing."
Another officer refers to a "bullying-type culture".
There is a "culture of fear" in the Metropolitan Police because of the "draconian" use of performance targets, a report into the force has said.
It calls some targets "meaningless" and "unrealistic" - and says others are "disguised" by senior officers.
The report was compiled by the Met Police Federation from interviews and surveys with 250 officers.
Scotland Yard denied claims of a "bullying culture" and said it made "no excuses" for valuing performance.
The report, submitted to Met Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe and other senior officers, follows a warning from Home Secretary Theresa May that police performance targets are making a "comeback".
Mrs May - who has scrapped most centrally-imposed police targets - told a conference in September that performance measures were being reintroduced by some forces as a "security blanket".
The Met Police Federation, which represents about 30,000 officers at the rank chief inspector and below, says "never before" have targets been applied with "such determination" as they currently are in the Met - the UK's biggest force.
The federation says officers who fall short are subject to "unjust punishments" or made to comply with an "action plan", which is "merely an excuse" for more targets.'Constant threat'
One officer told the report: "Every month we are named and shamed with a league table by our supervisors, which does seem very bullying/overbearing."
Another officer refers to a "bullying-type culture".
The report has been submitted to Met Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe
The report says: "There is evidence of a persistent and growing culture of fear spawned by the vigorous and often draconian application of performance targets, with many officers reporting that they feel almost constantly under threat of being blamed and subsequently punished for failing to hit targets."
But Scotland Yard, which has faced intense scrutiny following allegations of corruption and cover-up in the Stephen Lawrence case, denied officers were being unfairly pressurised.
In a statement, the force said: "We are faced with many challenges, not least delivering improvements against the background of a reduced budget.
"However, despite this we do not recognise the claim that we have a bullying culture.
"We make no excuses for having a culture that values performance. We have pledged to reduce crime, increase confidence and cut costs.
"It's a big task and we have a robust framework in place to ensure we achieve this. The public expects no less."Officers 'constrained'
According to the report, officers spoke of "cutting corners" and "speed reporting" to meet performance targets.
Others described the targets as "illogical, nonsensical and consequently futile and ineffective".
"This causes a lack of faith in management, impedes police performance - particularly for complex tasks - and has a negative effect on the public," the report adds.
"Performance targets are generating so much extra work for officers and staff that they regularly feel constrained from performing their normal duties."
The report says there is a "strong sense" that some performance targets are disguised - in one borough they are called "expectations".
"Officers believe target-setting is sometimes camouflaged and occasionally its existence is even denied by management," it says.
Scotland Yard defended its approach, saying it was "transforming" the way it delivered policing in London, making it more efficient, effective and responsive to the changing needs of Londoners.
"We are already seeing results," it said.
"The latest figures show crime in London falling faster than it has for years and we know from our surveys that both public confidence and victim satisfaction is increasing month on month."
The report says: "There is evidence of a persistent and growing culture of fear spawned by the vigorous and often draconian application of performance targets, with many officers reporting that they feel almost constantly under threat of being blamed and subsequently punished for failing to hit targets."
But Scotland Yard, which has faced intense scrutiny following allegations of corruption and cover-up in the Stephen Lawrence case, denied officers were being unfairly pressurised.
In a statement, the force said: "We are faced with many challenges, not least delivering improvements against the background of a reduced budget.
"However, despite this we do not recognise the claim that we have a bullying culture.
"We make no excuses for having a culture that values performance. We have pledged to reduce crime, increase confidence and cut costs.
"It's a big task and we have a robust framework in place to ensure we achieve this. The public expects no less."Officers 'constrained'
According to the report, officers spoke of "cutting corners" and "speed reporting" to meet performance targets.
Others described the targets as "illogical, nonsensical and consequently futile and ineffective".
"This causes a lack of faith in management, impedes police performance - particularly for complex tasks - and has a negative effect on the public," the report adds.
"Performance targets are generating so much extra work for officers and staff that they regularly feel constrained from performing their normal duties."
The report says there is a "strong sense" that some performance targets are disguised - in one borough they are called "expectations".
"Officers believe target-setting is sometimes camouflaged and occasionally its existence is even denied by management," it says.
Scotland Yard defended its approach, saying it was "transforming" the way it delivered policing in London, making it more efficient, effective and responsive to the changing needs of Londoners.
"We are already seeing results," it said.
"The latest figures show crime in London falling faster than it has for years and we know from our surveys that both public confidence and victim satisfaction is increasing month on month."
