Life on the front line of a changing society.
Editorial introduction: With the new Government pledging a huge recruitment drive for the police, it is timely to ask what life is like for officers (especially Christians) policing in 21st Century Britain. Interviewing a Christian police chaplain, Paul Luckraft finds out what it’s like to work on the front line of a changing society.
With many changes happening in Britain, and not always for the better, it is natural to assume that those working in front-line services are subject to new pressures and increasing burdens. Those who have been in such jobs for a considerable period may now find things are very different from when they started. How do they cope? And will their situation become more difficult as society continues to decline, morally and spiritually?
One vital sector of our public services is the police force (or, more properly nowadays, police ‘service’), with their dual function of care and control, of serving the public and their needs while maintaining the law of the land.
What is it like to be a Christian in modern policing? What problems do officers and their support teams face in this era of political correctness, diversity and cultural Marxism?
To find answers I talked to a chaplain in the Metropolitan Police Service, to whom I will refer as ‘J’. The picture I gained wasn’t as depressing as I had feared - nevertheless, the policeman’s lot can hardly be described as a totally happy one.
Growing Discontent
According to J, one significant area of discontent among officers, especially senior ones, is the lessening sense of professional ‘family’ within particular stations and boroughs. Cost-cutting has meant facilities such as canteens have been reduced and opportunities to share together are more limited. Officers no longer feel cared for, or that they have the time to develop closer relationships among themselves that will benefit them in their work.
Cost-cutting has meant shared facilities have been reduced and officers no longer feel cared for.
This is just one small way in which they feel less respected and valued – but there are others, J went on. Those above them, local and national politicians, make decisions which make their jobs more demanding, but perhaps even worse is the attitude of large portions of society which routinely see officers as racists, bigots and/or as corrupt. Compounding all this is the media which frequently judges them, highlighting complaints and running stories which show them in a bad light.
‘PC’ PCs
Moving to the topic of political correctness, J illuminated how this radical social force no longer allows for traditional policing approaches, which worked extremely well in the past but which would now be frowned upon. Contentious methods such as ‘stop and search’ have to be handled with extreme care to show fairness and balance. Even when the main suspects are clearly known, the police dare not be seen to show bias against the criminal. As a result, time is wasted in searching others in order to avoid charges of targeting certain groups.
In the past, J continued, older officers would mentor younger ones and train them in ways which they knew worked. This doesn’t happen any longer and creates a disconnection between age groups, which is frustrating for senior officers as they cannot pass on best practice. Instead, new recruits come from police colleges already ‘fully trained’, which really means being taught how to behave as ‘PC’ PCs.
J reflected that being the custodians of the nation’s laws is a difficult enough job in and of itself; but nowadays society seems to have its own ‘rules’, separate and distinct from the laws of the land. One obvious example is that of drug-taking. The law may say one thing, but if large numbers of people are gathering despite this to smoke cannabis (for instance), what should the response be? In one case, J opined, thousands occupied Hyde Park for this purpose. Although the event was policed, all the officers could do was watch on.
Restricting Freedoms
One main concern is how to police the new laws on hate speech. In some cases, the required response might be clear, but in general this area is fraught with difficulty, especially if preaching the Gospel is involved. How should a Christian policeman react to being told to arrest someone preaching on the street, or giving out a tract? J summed up the overall dilemma caused by the hate laws succinctly: “Freedoms are being restricted in the name of freedom”.
According to J, the hate laws can be summarised as freedoms being restricted in the name of freedom.
It was pleasing to hear that at present, J finds no problems in representing the Christian faith within the Met itself. Good relations prevail with the top commanding officers who are always glad of his input and have an open door for him. Opportunities for J to speak and pray are regular, including at training days where it might be thought more problematic. Although individual officers may be less than enthusiastic, in general there is little opposition and many are glad of the listening ear and support that a Christian chaplain can bring.
Bettering Society
The goal of every police officer is to make society a better place. But today it is difficult to answer precisely how this ought to be done, especially in a way that all officers could agree with.
Speaking with J inspired and reminded me that as Christians, we should remain grateful for and supportive of our police officers, praying for them and encouraging any that we know personally, pointing them in the direction of the only true Way in which British society can genuinely be transformed for the better.
Find out more about how to encourage and support Christians in the police by connecting with the Christian Police Association.
