Cleveland Police Federation Chair: Policing must look to the future

19 February 2024

Policing must look to the future - rather than the past - if it is to deal with the myriad demands and challenges facing a 21st century service, the Chair of Cleveland Police Federation has said.

Paul Crowley was speaking after the Home Secretary called for “back to basics policing” that would keep “officers on the beat”.

Paul said: “There is no one-size-fits-all solution to policing. Policing in rural areas is completely different from policing in metropolitan areas and each has their own demands, and every response to that demand needs to be specific to the needs of that community.

“So, putting more officers on the beat and more officers in communities is fantastic. Everyone talks about the years gone by when, ‘We used to see a bobby at the end of our street all the time’. We don’t live in those days anymore. Those days are behind us. I think policing needs to look forward into the future.”

He added: “Don’t get me wrong: There is a place for having more community officers in those areas that face that demand. But things are fast moving. There are demands that we face now that were never even dreamt of back in those days. Policing needs to look forward to the future and be able to expect that demand and manage that demand adequately. Looking to the past isn’t the way that we deal with future problems.”