Policing By Consent Is More Critical Now

30 March 2020

Policing by consent is going to be more critical than ever before over the next weeks and months.

Essex Police Federation says talking to people, offering advice and putting them right when they ‘miss-step’ will help drive through the Government’s lockdown messaging and ultimately save lives.

Using a big stick to force people to comply won’t work, according to Essex Police Federation Chairman Steve Taylor.

He said: “Never has our policing model of policing by consent been more apt to the situation we face.

“It’s all well and good the Government talking about extra powers and extra legislation but ultimately we police by consent, and that means we talk to people and we point out where they might be making mistakes, where they might be misstepping, and that they should listen to the advice and follow it.

“Now apply that to the national model, that’s precisely what needs to happen here. There’s no use the police being on every street corner with a big stick saying, ‘get back inside your house’.

“That’s not the country any of us have been brought up in and want to live in, and that’s not the country we need to end up in if people are listening to the sensible advice, following the sensible guidance. We’ll be on the frontline issuing that guidance to people.

The message is, after all, pretty clear and straightforward.

“Don’t congregate. Keep social distancing. All the messaging that’s coming out of the Government, we’ll keep reiterating that,” Steve said.

“We don’t need that big stick because our communities, by and large, are sensible and hopefully will heed the advice.

“We need the consent to continue, policing as we want to police which is sensibly, talking people through it, explaining the problems, and hopefully people listening and abiding by the advice that’s been issued.”