J’ Accuse: where to point the finger?

For some time now there has been much political finger-pointing on the topic; who is actually to blame for the inherent failings in UK public sector agencies?

Like many, I have a vested interest in all areas of the public sector after all, my potential for suffering poor service levels are no less than anyone else. My expertise and main interest however relates to policing issues.

Succesive governments have purportedly been robust on tackling crime, police officer numbers are at the highest level they have ever been and yet, our society is still blighted by all manner of criminal and anti-social behavioural issues. What has gone wrong and more importantly, how can we fix it? Or, if you are a senior police officer, who can you blame?

I really wish I could offer a definitive and singular answer however, as so many social factors are actually involved, it really is an impossibility. Anyone who does offer up a simple fix is either, inherently stupid or simply blowing sunshine up your backside. A descriptive that could easily apply to many of our politicians and police chiefs. Yes they may have an interest in our public sector however; that interest is often a self-preservation interest, as opposed to the overall quality of service their agency is actually delivering to the public. This is why they always hastily seek a ‘culprit’ to shoulder the blame for their management failings.

Members of ACPO and their senior police commanders (and many public sector managers) need to take a reality check. They need to understand, whilst beating their workers with increased productivity sticks, threatening redundancies and wagging their didgets of pompous self-important retribution the buck passing has to stop. In the finger-pointing of blame and responsibility, the forefinger of blame can be directed wherever you wish however, the remaining three fingers point back towards the accuser who has to carry the responsibility. Now for lesson two in the series ‘Latin for police leaders‘…

Mea maxima culpa!