As chief constable of the UK's second largest force, Greater Manchester Police's Michael Todd leads from the front but has faced some tough challenges to his force in recent weeks. And yes, we did ask him about speed cameras.
The people's copAs chief constable of the UK's second largest force, Greater Manchester Police's Michael Todd leads from the front but has faced some tough challenges to his force in recent weeks. And yes, we did ask him about speed cameras. Michael Taylor reports
There once was a chief constable in Manchester who gained the nickname of God's Cop. Accurate or not, James Anderton appeared to be on mission to clean up the streets from the sinners.
Michael Todd would undoubtedly like to be known as the People's Chief. He walks the beat with the foot patrols around Greater Manchester, he even arrested a bag snatcher recently. And when his own house was burgled soon after arriving at Greater Manchester Police (GMP) from the Metropolitan Police, where he held a senior position as an area commissioner, he says the burglary experience gave him a victim's view of crime.
I was chuffed to get an audience with him and consequently mentioned it to a few people. They all told me to press him on the same point - speed cameras.
Most Insider readers have little regular contact with the police. Those that do will occasionally receive a letter informing them they were driving at 80 miles per hour on a quiet stretch of motorway, for which they will be fined £360 and have three penalty points put on their licence. It is a common point of contention among the middle classes that the police do not do enough to clear up theft but do plenty to harrass the motorist.
I kept a question about the diminishing confidence in the fairness of the system up my sleeve. I prepared an ambush for Todd. I shouldn't have bothered. He stopped me dead in my tracks and told me I was preaching to the converted.
"I am concerned and always have been concerned about this issue. I believe that speed cameras at casualty reduction sites where they can make a real difference are really necessary in order to stop people from being killed or injured on our roads. But I don't agree with them being used, in effect, as another form of taxation.
"I think it is still of great concern to me that the public think it's about income generation and they lose respect for law and order."
It's part of a bigger point about practical policing, he adds: "In the same way we don't go around the city centre on a Saturday night and arrest every single person who is shouting for a breach of the peace. You put your arm around people, say, 'you've had a good night out, you've had a drink, now it's time to go home.'"
We talked about a number of issues relevant to the business community. He is keen to address concerns that businesses are vulnerable to crime. He is working on better measurement of "business crime" and therefore developing what the police response should be. He proudly illustrates the work he has done in tackling armed robbery, which had reached epidemic proportions, especially the targeting of cash in transit.
He insists the police force is a vital cog in the regeneration machine. "We shouldn't just regard policing as a bolt-on afterwards. If we want the area to prosper and we want people to invest here and to bring events here - like the Labour Party conference - then we have to give the public assurances that Manchester is a safe place to do business."
At the time of our meeting, which wasn't strictly a lunch, by the way, there were some much more damaging public relations problems than speed cameras. Her Majesties Inspectorate of Police produced a very thorough report of every force's performance and some sections of the media focused on GMP's seemingly poor record on burglary.
His take on the statistics for the year to March 2004 is that there had been a dramatic reduction in crime: a 14.2 per cent reduction in robbery, a 10.9 per cent reduction in house burglary, an 11.9 per cent reduction in car crime and a 3.1 per cent reduction in crime overall.
"If you look at our figures now, you are far less likely to be a victim of crime in Greater Manchester. This means thousands fewer victims, with all the impact this has on people and their families," he says.
"We are now aware of our crime hotspots and know when and where robberies and burglaries are likely to occur. By allocating our resources accordingly, we can continue to reduce crime in this way.
"However, we will not get complacent and are fully aware that there are still huge areas that we need to improve upon.
One of his personal crusades is a campaign to add to the number of officers serving GMP. He maintains that to achieve the same standards of performance and workload as Lancashire Police - which has been singled out for praise as "excellent" - more bodies are needed.
"To continue to reduce our crime figures we need more officers on the streets and although we had extra officers last year the ultimate goal is to have 11,000 officers out there fighting crime and protecting people. Visible policing not only helps reduce crime but creates confidence and reassurance within the general public. This is something we need to restore."
But it's not just visible policing that Todd needs to restore confidence in his force, especially in the ethnic communities in Manchester. He was as shocked as anyone to see the undercover documentary The Secret Policeman, which portrayed trainee officers from North Wales, Cheshire and his force spouting appalling racist insults and boasts.
"It would be a great understatement to say I was extremely disappointed to hear of yet another instance in which just a small number of our new officers may have shaken the public's faith in our integrity in respect of race issues. Officers who believe that they can survive in my force whilst behaving in an overtly racist manner are deluding themselves - they cannot and will not.
"Like all right-minded people, I am personally offended by all racist and discriminatory behaviour. Such behaviour from police officers or our support staff is totally unacceptable and disgusts me as a fellow officer. They let down not only their colleagues, but also the communities they are supposed to serve," he says.
One of the reasons he chose to come to Manchester is that, when at the Met, he enjoyed working in a multi-racial city and appreciated the richness of experience that it brought to the job.
Todd is an inspiring and charismatic bloke. Yes, a bloke. His accent betrays his Essex roots but he is at pains to point out he isn't going anywhere
Also in: July 2004
-
INSIDER PROPERTY AWARDS EXCELLENCE IN PROPERTY
The winners of the Insider Property Awards North West included representatives of the built environment from all across the region
-
MOOVERS & SHAKERS
With a nod to Manchester's Cow Parade, we present our unique ranking of the 100 most powerful people in the North West.
