Scenario-based essay on Introduction to Policing (PCDA) Pc Smith has a reputation for being popular with colleagues at all ranks, and for being an effective operational police officer. Pc Giles and Pc Smith are deployed as part of a policing contingent outside a private clinic where there is a large protest taking place. The clinic provides pregnancy termination services and the protesters are predominately made up of anti-abortionist campaigners displaying relevant placards. Pc Smith makes a comment about women terminating pregnancies, stating that it was against their religious beliefs and that they intended to find out from their off duty colleague how to join the movement.

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Introduction to Policing 2019- CRM1111 (SUR) Essay
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British Police have a unique history of policing that has been emerged and
administered from within the heart of the community since Sir Robert Peel introduced
Peelian Principles in 1829. Sir Robert conceptualized 'Policing by Consent' to address the
challenges of modern policing. In Police vision 2025, (NPCC n.d.) states that modern
policing needs continuous adaptation in order to serve increasingly diverse and complex
communities. Likewise, (College of Policing, 2014) has produced the Code of Ethics to
assist the police officersorthosewho workin thepolice. It works asa frameworkto serve
the public in the highest professional standard. As the Peelian principles remain the
foundation of modern policing, amidst the challenges the police have also evolved in
reshaping organisational culture, concept, and standards in modern forces. The majority
of Police officers act with honesty and integrity and maintain a high degree of
professionalism but some officer’s conducts might be of concern. PC Smith and PC Giles
have demonstrated that their conducts have fallen short below the standards of
professional behaviours in conjunction with the Code of Ethics.
Police officers are expected to adapt and operate effectively along with the
changes and challenges in the organisation. According to the (College of Policing, 2019),
"A police officeris a personwith varied roles and responsibilities playing a critical among
the members of the public to prevent and detection of crime and the criminal justice
system." Besides, officers are assessed of their performance in constant public scrutiny
reviewing action and conduct regularly. As Sir Robert Peel outlines in one of his
principles, "The key to the policing is that the police are the public and that the public are
the police" (Law Enforcement, n.d.). Police officer's conducts are anticipated to remain
fair and effective, displaying a high degree of professionalism and impartiality
consistently.

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PC Smith and PC Giles have been dispatched to one of the most challenging jobs in
policing following reports of large protest by anti-abortionist campaigners in front of the
clinic which provides pregnancy termination services in an area where members of the
public have immediate access. Considering the scale of protest unfolding, officers are
expectedto handle the situations effectively andfairly. Their conductand behaviours will
reflect professional standards of policing and National Decision Model. However, if the
nature of the protest goes beyond provocation causing further escalation, Officers are
expected to act and use the power they have in their disposal.
While dealing with the protest, it is understandable that freedom of expression is
the foundation of modern democracy to bring social and political changes. However, it is
noteworthythat the protestmay escalate disrupting peace and harming businesses in the
communities. Consequently, the protest may cause alarm, harassment, and distress to
other people, so police officers may reasonably act to ensure the situation is under
control. Human rights Act 1988, came into force in the UK in 2000, since then rights of
freedom of expression and freedom of assembly are protected by articles 10 and 11 of
the European Convention of Human Rights (EHRC, 2018). In a report published in House
of Commons Library, (Brown, 2019) states "The freedom of peaceful protest is a
cornerstone of a liberal democratic society.” however the protest can be unpredictable
and may affect other members of the public present at the scene. As officers are expected
to protect the rights of the protesters, they also have further responsibilities to safeguard
other members of the public and businesses. Protests can be challenging in modern
policing when new technologies are involved. It has transformed the nature of protest
due to the constant development of innovative ideas and means of communication. Given
the example of the London riot 2011, many news media such as The Guardian, (Halliday,

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2011) reported that protesters used an encrypted way to incite more violence and
disorder as they used 'Blackberry and WhatsApp' to relay messages.
PC Smith and PC Giles are expected to look into different elements of the protest
drawing legal references to assess the situation. (Abortion Act, 1967) clarifies that
abortion is legal in the United Kingdom. The parliament has legalized under the certain
condition as long as it is conducted by registered practitioners and regulated by the NHS.
Abortion itself is not illegal in the UK (1967 c. 87) in a way how the protesters may have
perceived. PC Smith and PC Giles will possibly ensure that no crimes have been
committed. These officers will ensure and verify the protester’s actions on the contrary
to section 5, 4a and 4 of the Public Order Act 1986 and consider other aspects to ensure
their safety and wellbeing. Subsequently, Police have the power to impose conditions on
demonstrations under section 12 and 14 of the Public Order Act 1986 if required.
Activities of this nature can have a detrimental effect on the wellbeing of individuals who
are involved. The police officers have a crucial challenge to balance between rights of the
protesters and those of the larger community with a duty to protect people and
properties from the threat of harm or injury.
It is astonishing to hear what PC Smith has commented about women terminating
pregnancies. Being a public servant, it is unethical to express a personal opinion on
sensitive matters openly in public and such behaviour may lead to dire consequences.
Such a preconceived notion about abortion will undermine an ability to perform a duty.
Moreover, the comments made about joining the movement are extremely inappropriate
and such behaviour does not uphold policing principles or meet standards expected from
the officer who is sworn to uphold the law fairly and firmly. This constitutes a breach of
the Code of Ethics and has failed to safeguard the public expectation. Furthermore, it has

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violated the organisational normsandvalues whereasofficersareheld to a high standard
of professional behaviour on and off duty. It is remarkable that PC Smith has a reputation
for being a competent officer who is known to have operational efficiency. Such
reputation simply makes the person a role model for other officers which can be a
prominent factor within the force to encourage other officers to adopt best practices.
Unfortunately, this conduct may not set a good example for others and will be dealt at an
appropriate level.
A moral dilemma may arise for officers in a policing career, but any improper
conducts cannot be justified. PC Smith’s inappropriate behaviours and actions do not
meet the minimum expectation of the principles and standards of behaviour from the
policing profession. It suggests that PC Smith has failed to act with honesty and integrity,
fairness and selflessness disregarding the Code of Ethics produced by the College of
Policing which has defined the exemplary standard of behaviours. PC Smith's comments
here also clarifies that there are other off duty police officers present in the protest who
are endorsing the anti-abortion campaign. Although off duty officers may exercise their
civil rights, the Police (Conduct) Regulation 2012 suggests that their involvement
displays a manner that discredits the police service or undermines public confidence.
Their involvement contradicts ethical values and integrity, suggesting this to be a matter
of investigation. Understandably, Police officers have challenges while dealing with
unique issues of the society nevertheless it is important to gain public confidence and
trust. It is only feasible to achieve when the public feel that the police have acted
impartially. While Police officers are held in high standard, they are expected to refrain
from making comments which may jeopardise the reputation of the entire organisation.
The officers are duty-bound to remain impartial and accountable in spite of personal

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opinion and reservation. It is crucial to maintaining and enhancing public confidence in
policing. Should anyone fail to maintain because of their poor conducts will be dealt with
appropriate actions. Likewise, PC Smith's conduct has further amounted to the breach of
standards of professional behaviour in relation to Equality and diversity, honesty and
integrity, duties, and responsibilities. Officers are obligated to follow the Code of Ethics
as outlined to make ethical decisionsand maintain integrity. A proverb of ‘Onebad apple’
can infect the ‘whole barrel’ may articulate the cause and effect of improper conduct
therefore, PC Giles has a positive obligation to challenge PC Smith’s improper conduct
which hasfallen below the standardsofprofessionalbehaviour.Such conductis expected
to get reported and challenged or actions can be taken against a person at the earliest
opportunity if necessary. It will be immoral for PC Giles to ignore such an unprofessional
behaviour regardless of PC Gile’s reputation among the ranks.
Police have gone through reforms over the years. Various mechanisms have been
developed to address modern complex issues, especially in relation to equality and
diversity. As described by (Neyroud and Beckley, 2001) “British Policing relies on
procedures developed in response to problems.”. The Police officers are trained to
understand any social representations from the diversity point of view. Therefore, the
public and colleagues expect to see officers implementing this kind of pieces of training,
specifically in a similar scenario.
Critical thinking plays an important role when it comes to ethics and professional
behaviour (Ozyasar.n.d.). Police officers have a tremendous amount of responsibilities
and public expectation have grown extensively. They should refrain from displaying such
behaviours that affect the credibility of the entire police force. College of policing clearly
outlines in its code of ethics that Ethical behaviour comes from the values, beliefs,

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attitudes, and knowledge that guide the judgements of everyone in modern policing. As
reasoning analysis of seen and unseen phenomena in the organisation is a key
responsibility, officers are required to exceed the expectation of all members of the
public, their concern, security, and apprehensions purely stemmed from constantly
progressing policing values and ethics. Police profession can be demanding but
continuous training may help officers to respond to situations with an ethical approach.
References:
Abortion Act 1967, The National Archives, (Online) Available at
<http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1967/87 >[Accessed on 5/6/20]
Bowling, B., Reiner, R. & Sheptycki, J. W. E., (2019) The Politics of the Police, 5th Revised
Oxford University Press)
Brown, J (2019), Policing of Protest, CBP5013, House of Common Library ( Online)
Available at <https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/,> [Accessed on 4/6/20]
Bryant and Bryant, (2020) 'Policing Students' Oxford University press
College of policing (2020), Code of Ethics, (Online) Available at
<https://www.college.police.uk/What-we-
do/Ethics/Pages/archive_DO_NOT_DELETE/Code-of-Ethics.aspx > [Accessed on
23/5/20]
EHRC, (2018) Article 11: Freedom of assembly and association, (Online) Available at
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Halliday, J (2011) ‘London riots: how BlackBerry Messenger played a key role’ The
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blackberry >[Accessed on 2/6/20]

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HMIC, Adapting to protest– nurturing the British model of policing (Online) Available at
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NPCC, (n.d.) Policing Vision 2025, (Online) Available at
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12/6/20]
Police Constable, College of policing (Online) Available at <www.college.police.uk>
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Waddington, P (1999), Policing citizens: Authority and Rights, UCL Press