We have faith in officers – deputy police chief

The Be Lads campaign has asked the force to clarify people’s rights in dealing with officers, in the light of exposures about the Metropolitan Police’s record on issues including racism, gender and homophobia.

‘We have full trust and faith in the officers serving the island, and if we ever have doubts in an individual, we will act decisively and appropriately,’ said Deputy Chief Officer Ian Scholes.

‘We strongly desire that all members of the public immediately view a police officer as a person who can help them, and not to feel unsafe in their presence.

‘We strive for our organisation to be a pillar of public trust and something that the community can have confidence and pride in.

‘Our officers are members of our community, just like you, and routinely put themselves in harm’s way to serve the public. We won’t always get it right, but we promise to continue trying to be the best police service we can be.’

Mr Scholes, a long-serving local officer, admitted that no police service would be immune from an officer breaking trust placed in them, but would deal with any such incidents robustly.

Policing by consent requires transparency about police powers, and integrity and accountability of officers in exercising those powers, he said.

The Be Lads campaign, which works for safer nights out for women, asked about people’s rights in dealing with police officers. Mr Scholes said that anyone unsure about an officer’s motives could call the police station to check the officer’s identity.

If a person was arrested, a second officer would be asked to assist. Someone arrested or detained would rarely be taken away by a lone officer, who must operate within the law at all times.

‘The bottom line is that it is a priority for us to continue building the trust and confidence in Guernsey Police by working with the public,’ Mr Scholes said.

‘We hope this is evidenced by our ongoing, extensive engagement with our violence against women and girls strategy – which is both inward and outward-facing – and our work with the third sector in this area and others.

‘But we also hope it will be evidenced in the work we will be doing in the coming months and years.’