Last updated on May 8th, 2023 at 11:37 am
Reading Time: 4 minutesSorry to keep banging on about it, but I happen to think it’s important. We’ve now had about 48 hours since the news broke that Sue Mountstevens and Sophie Khan are part of the panel looking at Undercover Policing.
Now that the initial hullabaloo has almost died down, what have we actually learnt?
Firstly, we have learnt that I have now been #BlockedBySophieKhan.
Secondly, we have learnt that this panel has been in existence since July 2014 but we are only being told about it now.
We have learnt that the full makeup of the panel is this;
1. Alex Marshall (Chair) College of Policing
2. Stephen Otter HMIC
3. Sophie Khan People Action Centre
4. Sue Mountstevens Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner
5. Richard Martin Metropolitan Police
6. Christopher Nathan University of Warwick
7. Jon Boutcher Bedfordshire Police
8. David Tucker College of Policing
9. Gordon Ryan College of Policing
10. Kerry Robinson College of Policing
11. Rob Beckley College of Policing
12. Joe McGuigan HMRC
13. David Carrigan Independent Advisory Group
14. Dr Chris Nathan Warwick Interdisciplinary Ethics Research Group *Duplicate by CofP
15. Bob Satchwell Society of Editors
16. Prof Ben Bowling Dickson Poon School of Law
17. Peter Jukes Media consultant
18. Tom Gash Institute for Government
19. Chris Green Merseyside Police
20. Mick Creedon National Lead Organised Crime
21. John Dilworth Crown Prosecution Services
22. Dr Bethan Lofthouse Centre for Criminology
23. Shaun Sawyer Devon and Cornwall Police
We have learnt that The members of the panel are unpaid volunteers and are not part of the formal Governance structures of the College of Policing.
We now know the Terms of Reference of the panel;
This group will review, challenge and provide feedback on the standards for undercover policing. It will also consider the leadership, management and supervisory frameworks and the way undercover policing is presented to the wider public. It will identify what evidence might assist in developing future practice. Members will support each other in the challenge process.
It will aim to
https://twitter.com/Dancing_Petal/status/576380569103269888
So, all in all, I think it’s safe to say that we have learnt that the College are either naive in extremis, or simply arrogant and don’t give a stuff for the morale of the Front Line, Public Expenditure (duplication of effort?) and the vetting (or lack of) participants on their panel, who I assume will have access to some sensitive information at some time (not a live op I realise that, but damage can still be done), bearing in mind that Sophie Khan’s Raison d’etre is to sue the Police. “Good Night all. I’m off to bed. Will be dreaming about suing the police as always. Sweet dreams to you all. I love my job so much ”
I’ll leave you to decide which it is, but suffice to say I’m glad it doesn’t involve me directly, and I can only imagine the thoughts of those officers expected to subscribe to this nonsense.
Someone @ CoP needs to check their notes. The Minutes of the second meeting show Chris Nathan / Christopher Nathan as present and absent. He is also shown twice as a Panel member. There is only Dr Nathan at Warwick University, in the area of ethics.
This is his official university bio: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/people/nathan/ and he has his own website: https://christophernathan.wordpress.com/