Reasoned response to concerns put to senior police officers

After a little consideration I decided to take the police up on their invitation to talk to Joel de Woolfson and made an appointment to visit the police station. I was prepared to stand my ground and to try to explain to people who I considered would be hidebound and intransigent how dangerous I felt the way they were portraying themselves could become.

When Joel said on the phone that Patrick Rice would join our meeting for a short time, I scoffed and dismissed the idea. A short time after arrival, siting in a meeting room with Joel, Superintendent Nigel Taylor joined the discussion. I was pleasantly surprised to meet an intelligent, likeable man with a pleasant and humorous manner. Shortly thereafter Chief Officer Patrick Rice entered the room and from that point I talked almost exclusively with him. I must admit that, although not all my fears have disappeared, I have met with two senior police officers who, far from being intransigent, were educated, erudite gentlemen.

Discussing the very expensive armoured vehicle, I was given a reasoned and, as far as I was concerned, reasonable explanation. It is based on the shootings in Cumbria when a lone gunman killed 11 people and injured several others before committing suicide. I was informed that during the period of time between the first killing and the last, several individuals had died who could have been saved had first-response ambulance crews been able to attend to them without endangering their own lives. The vehicle purchased for Guernsey could, in this sort of emergency, be utilised as an armoured ambulance to allow the safe recovery of injured people. This to me seemed eminently sensible as it could easily happen in Guernsey. With cruise liners and private megayachts visiting, our island must surely be becoming a relatively easy target.

As for the unfortunate Alderney story, I was given little reassurance concerning the rather heavy-handed approach (in my view), however was told that the level of response had been discussed at length. It had not been an action taken lightly or without consideration. I was also told that in fact the level of investigation and the number of officers taken over to Alderney has helped greatly in finding that there was no case to answer and exonerating Dr Lyons.

The renaming of the police force to a law enforcement unit was discussed at length and I was pleased that not only did these senior policemen understand my point, they actually seemed to agree with me that the renaming had negative connotations. Chief Officer Rice actually committed himself to talking to the States representative that governed the force about returning to being described as a police force.

He said that the title change had been discussed at political level, where I would guess the politicians had not understood the ramifications of the changes.

I still believe that law enforcement is a dangerous and unnecessary title but am at least happy in the knowledge that we have presently no need to be concerned about changes to our police force.

That the name needs to be changed is still a necessity, but just as many other changes will be required when this Assembly is dissolved – it will be a matter to be brought to the attention of the new Assembly, which one hopes will not be so cavalier with our rights and privileges.

ROSIE HENDERSON,

Ma Carriere,

Le Petit Bouet,

St Peter Port,

GY1 2AN.