Positive policing

However this hard work has been undermined by a succession of scandals nationally and locally that have ranged from the high-profile resignations of Yorkshire police chiefs Sir Norman Bettison and Grahame Maxwell to the improper actions of a small number of rogue officers.

With the forces in both West and North Yorkshire setting up independent complaints units to restore trust, they should also look to embrace South Yorkshire Police’s new initiative which lists on a public website details of those officers that have been dismissed for misconduct. Recent incidents include an inspector arrested on suspicion of shoplifting – and a police constable who pushed a cyclist to the ground.

Yet, while this transparency contrasts with the secrecy that has traditionally surrounds police disciplinary cases, South Yorkshire need to go a step further and name the individuals found culpable. The reason is this: it protects the integrity of those exemplary officers whose conduct is beyond reproach while also acting as a potential deterrent to those who think, wrongly, that they are above the law.