Letter to John McTernan

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After today’s item (I can’t bring myself to call it a piece of journalism) in the Torygraph I felt obliged to write to Mr McTernan, so I emailed him this;

Dear Mr McTernan
Where do I begin?
Your item in The Telegraph regarding George Osborne ‘ruing’ the day left me angry, and quite frankly appalled.
Firstly you describe the Police Service as ‘the last bastion of unreformed public services’. You have presumably never heard, then, of the Police Reform Act of 2002 and the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011.
Sir Patrick Sheehy and Sir William Macpherson both presided over major Enquiries which brought about significant reforms. Indeed the last, coalition, government instigated Tom Winsor’s Reforms and the current Home Secretary is constantly telling us that ‘Reform is Working’. So on what do you base your assertions that they are ‘unreformed’?
“The last bastion of union control”. You should be fully aware that the Police Federation is specifically NOT a union, the Police have no industrial rights and many actually view the Police Federation as a ‘toothless tiger’, certainly not the aggressive Union that you seem to have in mind.
You do the thousands of good, honest, hard-working officers, each of whom has considerable restrictions placed on their private lives, no credit whatsoever. Your item will no doubt be seen as negative and offensive by many, and, accordingly I would invite you to apologise to them all for the ‘inaccuracies’ in your item.
Regards
Alan Wright

Retired Police Officer

If anybody else wants to write and offer him your opinion lease feel free to do so.

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5 thoughts on “Letter to John McTernan”

  1. Thanks Alan, got it.
    Most unpleasant and Ill informed item.
    Where did he get the statistic about Police stopping a crime once in 7 years! I think he’s been extremely selective and possibly manipulative in the criteria that has been used to support his point
    More of the same old unsupported rubbish being churned out and quoted as fact. More lies and statistics being churned out by someone who gained his experience from behind a desk whilst wearing rose tinted spectacles.

  2. Sorry Alan I can’t comment on the article as we don’t get papers out here.
    I think I get the general idea and it comes as no surprise, it’s seems it is just more of the same propaganda and disinformation that has been going round in some sectors of the press for some time now.
    Any allegation, rumours or half truths that may show the Police in a bad light is reported with little or no attempt to establish the truth or find balance.
    Anything that may show the Police in a good or positive light is not reported or given little coverage.
    Well no cuts to the Police Service say Mr. Osborne!
    In fact it’s the first time I’ve heard any member of this government say anything positive about the Police.
    He say that was always his intention and has nothing to do with the events in Paris.
    He was not convincing when interviewed this morning, infact his body language was a real give away.
    I think we all know that if it was not for those terrible atrocities, the cuts on the Police budgets would have gone ahead.
    It fills me with sorrow to think that the Police Service in the UK. escaped further cuts at the cost of lives lost in Paris.
    The reality is that the Police Service is still under resourced to deal with the normal challenges of everyday Policing.
    So the Police are not off the hook.
    All Mr. Osborne has done is postpone scheduled cuts.
    I’m sure it will be used As a stick to beat the Police with!

  3. Alan over recent weeks you have consistently ‘nailed’ the issues. I’m sure I am not the only serving/retired police officer who would say we are on the same page here and your posts bring a reassurance that says it is not just me who thinks this way. Thank you for speaking out with unrelenting regularity about issues you have both professional experience and a fervent belief in. I speak now with almost 40 yrs policing experience and come from a police family. Never before has it been so important to remain steadfast and resilient in providing safeguards and service to the public in spite of the lack of understanding and support from the Government. A policeman’s lot never was a happy one. But there is no job like it.

    1. Thank you for your kind words, as you well know the pride and love font diminish after your final pay packet, you’re a copper for life. We’re not perfect, the odd one or two are downright bad, but 10s of thousands of us do/did our best and prices like this in the national press give completely the wrong impression. Now that I’m free from the shackles I have the freedom to speak out for those who can’t and I hope that will stay with me for a while yet. The Police Service of today is not perfect either, TJF is often quoted, but what would you replace it with? The alternative didn’t bear thinking about.

      Thanks for reading.

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