Essex police force

Queens Cottage

Stortford Road

Leaden Roding

Great Dunmow

Essex CM6 IQX

Mrs L. Afendikova 15 November 1995

Flat 56, House 20

Polotskaya Street

Donetsk 340092

Ukraine

Dear Mrs Afendikova

Greetings to you and all my police colleagues. My name is Keith Palmer. I am a police sergeant in the Essex Police Service and the husband of Eileen Palmer, who wrote to you recently. Eileen showed me your letter. In it you requested knowledge of commands used by police commanders towards junior officers. I will endeavour to enlighten you as to the system of management used within the British Police Service.

Our Police Service does not operate in the same way as yours. We have, over the past twenty years, moved from the ‘military style’ of police management, to a more ‘corporate style’. In effect, the police have become a business organisation, rather than a ‘force’. We no longer use the words ‘Police Force’, but rather ‘Police Service’.

We still have a rank structure. The ‘ badges of rank’ are still based on the military style, but the ‘titles of rank’ differ to those in the military, with the exception of the rank of ‘sergeant’.

Within the Essex Police Service, of which I am a member, there are now six police ranks. They are Chief Constable; Assistant Chief Constable; Superintendent; Inspector; Sergeant; Constable. Although we have these ‘ranks’, in order to convey a more corporate image, Sergeants are referred to as ‘ supervisors ', Inspectors as ‘ managers ’,

Superintendents as ‘senior managers’ and Chief Constables, as the ‘executive’. In line with this ‘corporate image, there is no saluting of senior ranks, by junior ranks. Any order given is permitted to be questioned. The giver of that order is obliged then to explain the reason for that order. However, if after explanation, the recipient of that order fails to carry out that order, the matter may be reported to the Complaints & Discipline Department. The giver of the order, is then put in the position of having to justify that the order was lawful.

Recruits to the police service may join at age of 19. All recruits must be both physically and dentally fit, have a good standard of education and pass an entrance examination. The recruits are then subject to an interview, to discover if they are psychologically able to perform police duties.

All new recruits spend an initial ten weeks at a police training school. These ten weeks are broken up into modules, where the recruit spends time working within a territorial division, under the direction ol a tutor constable. The recruit is on a two year probation, during whicl time the tutor constable and his sergeant report on his progress on a monthly basis. If the recruit does not come up to the required standard, he is dismissed. Once a constable has had his probation confirmed after his two year period, he cannot be dismissed unless he has committed a criminal offence, or has gone before the Chief Constable for an act against the discipline code, for which the Chief Constable has the power to dismiss him.

Essex Police has a Uniform Branch consisting of ten ‘Territorial Divisions ', a ‘Traffic Division’ and a ‘Support Division’. The Support Division is divided into: Marine Section (three launches that patrol the North Sea Coast around Essex, together with the river estuaries in and around Essex), Air Support (two helicopters). Dog Section, Mounted Branch (horses used mainly for crowd control) and the ‘Special Support Section’ (officers trained in crowd control and specialist firearms officers). There is of course the ‘ Criminal Investigation Division’. They supply detectives to work within the territorial divisions, together with a ‘scenes of crime department’ (collectors of forensic evidence). Their ‘Support Section’ is divided into squads dealing with fraud, vehicle theft, regional crime and special branch.

Entrance into the ‘Support or Specialist Divisions’ is by way of stringent selection process. If a particular department within that division has a vacancy, it advertises internally. Officers then apply to that department for an application form to complete. Once completed, the application is then vetted by the constables supervisor and first line manager who put a recommendation on it. If recommended, the officer is called for an interview by the management (called the 'Command Team’) of that department. If selected, the Command Team of that department, apply to the constables present Territorial Division Command Team, to release him.

Divisions are commanded by a Superintendent who has a senior inspector as his deputy. The territorial divisions are divided into sub-divisions and sections. Sub-divisions have four inspectors managing a shift each. The shift will work an eight hour day. Each shift has three sergeants supervising about ten constables. Sections, which are much smaller and look after mainly rural areas, have one inspector to manage the section. He will operate four shifts with one sergeant in charge of each shift of about four constables.

Although I use the descriptive ‘He’, I am not implying that all are men. All ranks have female members of staff as well.

Promotion is by way of a two part examination, followed, if passed, by an interview selection process. The promotion interview boards are advertised annually. Officers wishing to be considered for promotion, must have first passed the relevant examination (there are only two promotion examinations that of constable to sergeant and sergeant to inspector). The officer must then apply to his Divisional Commander for his recommendation. The promotion interview team usually consist of an Assistant Chief Constable and two Superintendents. One of the Superintendents, being the officers Divisional Commander.

I passed the exams to inspector in 1982.1 tried for five years to pass an interview board. On failing the last one, I gave up. Having given up on further promotion, I joined the Traffic Division. Together with one other sergeant, I supervise a small traffic section at Newport, Essex. The section has four shifts, with four constables on each shift. The primary objective of our section is looking after part of the Ml 1 motorway, apart from the other road systems in the area.

The Chief Constable also employs a large civilian organisation. The civilian organisation controls the finance, administration, infor­mation technology and training.

I will send to you by parcel post, maps of the Essex Police area, together with anything else I consider may be of interest to you and your students.

I will close now, hoping that I will hear from you or one of your students in the not too distant future.

Yours in friendship Keith Palmer

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