Two contradictory things can be true at the same time. It is true that the findings of the independent Police Leadership Commission, which I co-chaired, are devastating in relation to the recruitment, training and development, promotion, monitoring and appraisal of the police service. Yet there is excellent policing taking place on our streets and protecting our businesses every day of the week.
In other words, there are men and women doing their duty “without fear or favour” – as Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, put it at the beginning of June. Meanwhile, the systems they work under and the processes they have to deal with are totally inadequate.
