In a civilised society all responsible and law abiding citizens have a right to expect the full support and protection of the State. It’s an unspoken social contract; we obey the law and in return we receive that protection. The State’s agent of protection is its police force and the prime function of any police force is to protect and to serve its citizens. We should all support and respect the police, but what if the police force proves to be less than competent or ineffective?

Over recent years there have been some disturbing examples of unacceptable policing in this country. A few years back we had the dreadful killing of an innocent Brazilian tourist by armed police officers on the London Underground. Last summer police failed to respond adequately, or in time, to street riots  in some parts of the capital where innocent citizens were attacked and their property destroyed.  A couple of months ago a coach was stopped by police on a motorway which was then closed for several hours and the passengers made to disembark individually with their hands in the air. They were then searched Guantanamo Bay style until the police found – an electronic cigarette. The list of bungling goes on.

Last week,  police searched a house three times in the hunt for tragic 12 year old, Tia Sharp, only to find her dead body on the fourth attempt. These events are quite alarming and we are entitled to ask whether or not our police are competent or to use a modern expression “fit for purpose”.

It seems to me that our police are poorly led, stifled by political correctness and are overwhelmed by unnecessary bureaucracy and form filling.  It’s a wonder that anybody would want to join the police at all, especially when, in addition, they lack the support of large sections of society and even when criminals are correctly apprehended they are dealt with far too leniently by our liberal leaning courts. That, of course, is another story.

I think our police force requires an urgent overhaul and certainly need some more quality at the top. If this sounds harsh just think of the senior policemen and women who appear on our television screens every time a serious crime is publicised.  Do they strike you as intelligent, articulate, sharp and incisive? Some, maybe but mostly not. Many appear to be out of their depth, probably over-promoted and not up to the intellectual level of some of the criminals they are trying to apprehend.

The time has come, I think, to model the police on our armed forces and to have an officer class of intelligent, well educated and highly trained young men and women. An elite able to face up to the demands of an increasingly complicated and sophisticated world.

It  must be hard being a policeman at the best of times, with long unsociable hours, time away from families and loved ones and regular risks of personal danger. The police need and deserve our support and the country needs a strong effective police force. Without one the road to anarchy lies clearly ahead.