Do you think we need a Police Reform?

[ChaoticGouda]

What with current events I've recently been thinking about this topic a lot more. There's a growing school of thought, particularly amongst some younger people and minority groups, that the policing system in its entirety is in good need of doing over or, in more extreme cases, removing completely.

For some this appears to be doing away with the current methods and time taken to train the folks in blue, in order to make way for entirely new training programs that would ideally take longer to complete. For others, it's more stringent training in helping with mental health issues, cases of domestic violence, racial minorities, LGBTQ+ etc

Some seem to want less police officers, others more, and there are even those who believe society would be improved with no police force at all.

What are your thoughts?

YABA - There is no need for a police reform
YANBU - Yes, there needs to be a police reform

Mental health. Shouldn't be the remit of the police

I think there is a need for a larger societal reform

I think you need to be clearer about if you mean in the US or UK

Please can you first tell us what you know about the Police? Thanks

Also what do you know about police training programmes and for which forces?

Folks in blue?
Take it to an American forum, journo.

Well what are your thoughts? Is this something you know anything about?
YABU

Society is ever reforming. Some bits too slowly to keep up with what they need to be. The police, the government, house of lords, BBC to name but a few are archaic in their foundations and rife with 'ism' problems.

But reform needs to be an improvement, with an agenda, or it could be upheaval and expense and the result swings and roundabouts.

With black lives matter I've been thinking about how my day to day is in ignorance of some of the sufferings of others. Whilst I'm reasonably PC, or try hard to be, I don't actively consider my actions in supporting organisations, without challenge, who are in a position of influence and barely pay lipservice to the equalities act. Im not sure what my personal action should be but I know it involves asking questions of institutions I use to make sure my drop in the ocean money is not funding turn a blind eye, I'm alright Jack, status quoism.

If enough people question change will happen.

Empowerment is the ultimate generator of equality so to get back on thread what are the police doing to remove bariers so they represent society through their staff, their recruitment and their training practices? It's been being asked for at least two decades, I've seen some lip service but has a real reflection of society been welcomed into our police?

@NowSissyThatWalk

I was trying to keep it relatively ambiguous so it could welcome answers from those thinking about either UK/US police. But you're right, I should have made it more specifically about UK police since this forum is more UK-orientated.

@Juanmorebeer

What do I know about the police? Probably no more than most members of the public, based mostly on personal experiences and media. Which is why I'm curious about other people's thoughts on the general idea of reform. I like hearing about different perspectives while forming my own views on certain issues.

@TheVanguardSix

I'm not a journalist. It was a silly attempt at humour, really shouldn't have included it Sorry!

@Batshittery

I don't know about a complete reform, at least here in the UK. It would be a major societal upheaval and it's likely that without a well-thought out alternative plan, which could take years to decide on and implement, that people would then take advantage of the chaos and lack of defined law enforcement.

However I do think that there are areas that could be improved, such as the response to domestic violence, stop-and-search and how it can disproportionately affect racial minorities, unfortunate cases of police brutality... (And additionally, scaling fines so they're more proportional to someone's income. Meaning if someone with considerably more wealth mucks up it's less of a slap on the wrist.)

The issue is that stopping ' stop and search' lead to more knife crime as black youths are more likely be in lower socioeconomic areas where they carry knives. If you look at the stats of who died of knife crime last year - they're nearly all black and poor. It's a really difficult area to address and maybe just needs a combination of much more money and more policing, input and ideas from local communities. All lives do matter and a life lost to knife crime is important too.

"No police force at all" and in the real world......

In the film 13th (or it might be in the interview afterwards ) they state the belief that the American justice system needs to be completely dismantled and built again from scratch because it's gone so far down the wrong route.

I think the UK system could still be salvaged, but only if they change the laws on drugs, too many people who are of no danger to society are inside prison for petty drug crimes, they take people who often have only mild drug use and lock them up somewhere where drugs are more available than they are outside!
Far too many young black men are serving sentences that they would not have received if they were white. How many white people go to jail for using cocaine? And yet a black person will get arrested and charged just got possessing a small amount of weed.

Taking mental health off their hands would be hugely beneficial to everyone, this includes addicts. Deaths in custody are correlated with mental health and substance abuse. Decriminalisation of possession of drugs for personal use would help too. We need to help people, not criminalise them.

A new organisation could be created as part of the NHS or Social Services.

I think we need more police if you want to class that as reform?
I know a fair few police and they are all highly trained, compassionate people.
I was thinking about them earlier and one in particular who does a lot of gang work and is often sent in on raids where they expect people to be challenging. He goes in and risks his life because he is pretty fearless but also highly trained, I was thinking of him and how if it went wrong what he could be accused of.
I also know an armed policeman who had to make the decision whether shoot or not at a man with a knife raging through a city next to a large event. The man in question was black. If the decision had been made to shoot that guy who was posing risk to large crowds at this point then what would have happened to that policeman and how would he have been perceived?Again he was able not to shoot because the person was restrained in other ways - again because our police are highly trained.

I'm not saying that what happened in America wasn't horrific and wrong at all, however I worry that our police being seen in the same way is wrong. Of course there will be some people unfit to be in the police here and they need to be rooted out but we must be very careful to distinguish between US and UK.

I live on a council estate, there are three estates next to each other, all have a high crime rate, drug use, drug dealing. From what I see on the estate & surrounding areas, there is a high rate of gang culture involving BAME kids, none of them go to the local schools & the estates are very high majority white, so anyone who is hanging around & isn't white stands out, including the drug dealers who cruise around in cars doing deals. I would say 95% of the residents are white, but looking at arrest reports in the local paper, most of the photographs of culprits arrested for crime in the area, most are BAME, very few white people are arrested. I don't know is that prejudice or the fact that they stand out.

I think if you have a small amount of drugs that are for personal use then no I don,t think it should be a criminal offence, perhaps more help should be offered to them. I think that my help. I think training on mental health issues is important. But also more police, this is a mager issue.