YP Comment: Election battle over policing '“ should more officers be armed?

WITH public reaction still so raw following three terrorist attacks by Islamist extremists in as many months, and the General Election now 48 hours away, it was inevitable that the issue of national security would become so political as the Prime Minister accused Jeremy Corbyn of being soft on terrorism while the Labour leader said that Theresa May had presided over policing on the cheap.
Armed police patrol Scarborough's South Bay beach.Armed police patrol Scarborough's South Bay beach.
Armed police patrol Scarborough's South Bay beach.

Yet the issues are, in fact, far more nuanced than the trading of statistics and insults. As both Mrs May and Cressida Dick, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, intimated, there needs to be a review of existing counter-terrorism powers – and whether they’re being used effectively or not. Should, for example, more extremists returning here after fighting alongside the so-called Islamic State have had their passports revoked?

It’s not necessarily about which party will allow more police to carry firearms as a matter of routine; it’s about how highly-trained officers capable of taking life-and-death decisions in a split-second can be deployed most effectively, in the event of a random act of violence that could happen anywhere, and whether society is comfortable, for example, with heavily armed police patrolling public areas – like Scarborough Beach – on a regular basis. Issues as significant as this won’t be reconciled by the acrimony usually associated with the final days of every election.

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And while Labour are exploiting Mrs May’s decision, as Home Secretary, to cut the number of police officers by 20,000, it’s not as simple as reversing this reduction. Though neighbouring policing is crucial, and the first line of intelligence-gathering, there needs to be a marked increase in the number of officers from Muslim backgrounds if extremists are to be identified – and apprehended – before they have a chance of committing acts of mass murder. Even though nearly one fifth of West Yorkshire’s population is classed as BME, just five per cent of the force’s officers come from this demographic. With progress rectifying this imbalance taking place at a “snail’s pace”, this is clearly one area of priority as the future of policing rises up the agenda.

Test of teamwork

THIS continues to be an unsatisfactory election. Called because of Brexit, Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn’s polarising campaigns have been overshadowed by two terrorist outrages. Yet, while Thursday’s poll is effectively a question of leadership and who is the best person to lead the country, it’s also about which party has the necessary team that can govern effectively in the national interest.

Mrs May certainly made a virtue of this at her London press conference yesterday before heading to Bradford. Yet, despite this, Chancellor Philip Hammond has been conspicuous by his absence while Diane Abbott, the Shadow Home Secretary and prominent London politician, did not lead Labour’s response following the latest terrorist attack.

In part, this is because campaigns have been allowed to become presidential. But, equally, there’s been a reluctance for front-benchers to debate with their opponents. Contrast this with the civilised manner in which William Hague and David Miliband debated foreign affairs during previous campaigns – or how George Osborne, Ed Balls and Vince Cable relished their regular exchanges on the economy. As a result of Brexit, neither the economy or foreign policy has diminished in importance or significance. Quite the opposite, hence voters have every reason to feel short-changed.

Marks of respect

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TODAY the nation will, once again, fall silent to pay its respects to the victims of terrorism. Two weeks after the nation woke to the horror of the Manchester concert bombing, the country now remembers people from here, and overseas, killed in the carnage inflicted on London, Britain and the free world on Saturday night.

Yet, coming on the 73rd anniversary of the D-Day landings, there’s a case to be made for a period of silence taking place annually on this day in history. Without their courage, Britain would not have become such a beacon of liberty and multi-culturalism. As Barnsley’s Dan Jarvis, the former soldier and Labour politician, wrote in The Yorkshire Post on Saturday: “We must always remember the unity and purpose that generation showed, and what they achieved. That, much more than our differences, is what should still define us today.” In light of the latest atrocity, these words are even more profound – and pertinent – on today of all days.

Last of an era

EVEN THOUGH Peter Sallis hailed from Twickenham, he will always be synonymous with TV’s Last of the Summer Wine, Britain’s longest-running TV comedy series, which was filmed in Holmfirth and became a national institution. He played the mild-mannered Norman Clegg and was the only actor to appear in all 295 episodes of a show which represented the best of BBC light entertainment.

Though younger generations will remember Mr Sallis as the unmistakable voice behind eccentric inventor Wallace in Nick Park’s animated films in more recent times, it was his on-screen rapport with Michael Bates (Foggy) and Bill Owen (Compo) in Last of the Summer Wine that came to define this most genial of actors.

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This was a mischievous triumvirate who truly entertained millions with their musings and mishaps. And, unlike today’s so-called comedians, they never took themselves seriously. His passing at the age of 96 really is the last of an era.