New States police chief chosen
Tuesday 26th October 2010, 3:00PM BST.
Mike Bowron will be appointed the new States police chief, if Members agree
THE senior police officer who led the response to the bombing of Aldgate underground station during the 2005 7/7 London terrorism attacks has been chosen as the Island’s next police chief.
The States will be asked to agree to the appointment of Commissioner for the City of London Police Mike Bowron.
He was head of operations for the police’s response to the bombing of Aldgate Station in July 2005 – at a time when terrorism attacks on four London sites claimed the lives of 56 people, including the suicide bombers.
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I think this is great news but I am still upset to see David Warcup go, even though I wish him all the best success in his career. He was a breath of fresh air into the States of Jersey Police and a step above his predessors for sure.
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I agree, I am really sorry to see David Warcup go and it was also a shame to see Mick Gradwell leave after only a short space of time. The calibre of police we have had over the past 18 months is so high its been fantastic and the lower crime rate statistics speak for themselves.
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Good luck to this guy. One hopes that he isn’t a slave to political will like his immediate predecessor… I’d prfer a Power to a Warcup anyday….
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I am surprised at your comments Rob and Rico knowing how you are both suppporters of the abuse victims!
Let us just hope and pray that this new chief detaches from politics and has not been brought here to further the abuse enquiry.
Other than that, good luck to him. He will be open to a lot of scrutiny.
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Hope he is able to draw up work rotas as we seem to have only 15 officers out if 240 available to be on duty in St Helier on a Saturday night.
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oh ‘Rico’ and ‘R Kent’ he must be one brave man!!
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I was told some weeks ago Mr Bowron was a front runner for the post. Let’s wait and see what he can do to repair the damage caused by the team my former colleagues called, “The management from hell.”
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Why bother having a rank structure with promotions in the sojp when they keep importing outsiders to fill the top job?????
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Hopefully one of his main priorities is to train up a Jersey born person to succeed him when he retires.
Or does the home office always insist on a UK policeman being head? When/who was the last Jersey born police chief?
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(Mick No. 7) “Outsiders”, you sound like something from Little Britain! Get with the real world, Mick! If it was left to a Jersey Person, the place would be in disarray! Import someone with a bit of experience in policing, who’s dealt with real crime, such as terrorism, as opposed to yobs down at liberation station and animal remains at Gorey!
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Mick # 7. I doubt that there is currently anyone in the S.o.J.P. who is of the right calibre. Too many good people left under the reign of ‘The management from hell.’ Mr. Bowron on the other hand will have had plenty of experience in the role in London. Also he will have attended all the necessary command courses – let’s give this bloke a chance before we pass judgement.
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7 Mick –
Why bother having a rank structure with promotions in the sojp when they keep importing outsiders to fill the top job?????
Mick who do you want in charge, a top police officer with extensive experience of policing some of the most difficult areas of the UK – or some local dozeball whose idea of a criminal is someone who breaks the branchage law.
I’ll take an experienced officer every time, welocme Mr Bowron.
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mmm.But isnt there an enquiry about the police resonce time at aldgate !
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Blue Knight – exactly what I was going to say. For those who know the sort of people that have left asap, including some who were glad to take a lower paid job, it invokes a huge sigh. Now that most of the ‘MFH’ have left as well, lets see what will happen.
Maybe active encouragement for the lower ranks rather than poisonous persecution. Promotion more on merit than memory. A level playing field for all, banishing rewards for sycophantic toadying.
Agree with you BK, but I’d hoped for better three years ago. And ten years ago.
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Mulvie Le Phew #11
I agree with you that Mike Bowron should make a first class States police chief.
But to describe “all” our existing officers as “some local dozeball whose idea of a criminal is someone who breaks the branchage law”.
Is crass and unnecessary.
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sounds like a very good choice. I wish him the best of luck in his new post – its certainly a stressful job; it won’t take long before everyone starts the conspiracy theories.
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Here is an extract from a London website, from the time when Mike Bowron was appointed the Chief of the City of London Police. It gives an insight as to why he will be the new Chief -that is due to his experience in deal;ing with economic crime
“City of London decides on new Police Commissioner
Mike Bowron is set to be appointed as the City of London Police’s new Commissioner. His candidature was approved at today’s Court of Common Council and is now subject to Royal Assent.
The decision means that Commissioner Bowron will be heading up the country’s lead force in economic crime. He will be overseeing the Force’s specialist crime investigations many of which have national significance.
Mr Bowron joined the City of London Police as Assistant Commissioner and Deputy to the Commissioner in September 2002. He has been Temporary Commissioner since the retirement of James Hart in June 2006.
The City of London is the police authority for the Square Mile. The Chairman of the City’s Police Committee, Keith Knowles, welcomed today’s decision:
“We are delighted with this new appointment and the qualities which Mike brings to the office of Commissioner, and together with the City community, Members of the Police Committee look forward to working with him in maintaining, and building on not only the Square Mile’s reputation as a safe place in which to live and do business, but also our relationship with other Police Forces both in and outside London.”
Commissioner Bowron is responsible for all policing matters in the City of London. The force concentrates on four key priorities: economic crime, anti-terrorism, public order and community policing.
Appointed the City’s Assistant Commissioner in 2002, Mike Bowron started his police service in Sussex, prior to which he spent a time working in the City within the Lloyds Insurance market. His police career has included a period on secondment to the Metropolitan Police, and with Kent Constabulary where he spent six months as British Government Police Adviser to the British Embassy in Jakarta where he was responsible for reviewing policing in Indonesia. He has played an active part in the work of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and is currently the lead officer for ACPO in respect of Economic Crime and Business Continuity.”
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Sierra 2 # 14. I loved your term, “Banishing rewards for sycophantic toadying.” Regrettably it has always thus. Expecting things to be otherwise would be naive; yet I know what you are saying should be how things work. As you surely realise, in the real world it is often the sycophants who get promoted before those who actually get stuck in and get the job done. The same applies in many organisations, not just the police.
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#6 Susan, great comment, must be very brave indeed!! The rico comment was so quick the brave one must have literally been sitting waiting for the item to appear on the website, possibly rubbing his hands together and laughing. So sad!
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This seems like a nice bloke with great credentials. I see he has a sense of humour
Oh Boy, is he going to need that !
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Oh dear, PJG. Those initials really do stand for ‘Police (Jersey) Groupie’, eh?
Where did Mulvie (#12, incidentally) say “all”?
I rather enjoyed his quip. I’m sure his local candidate was imaginary.
Po faced and touchy reaction chez PJG by the look of things?
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It is excellent news that we have attracted people of such high calibre to fill the roles of police chief and Lieutenant-Governor. Hopefully these indviduals will not ‘go native’ and will stay aloof from local politics.
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C Le Verdic#21
For someone who is usually pernickety to a fault I am surprised you cannot see where the “all” is implied.
“I rather enjoyed his quip”
But then it’s nothing new for you to enjoy unnecessary belittling as long as it’s as someone else’s expense?
And, I wonder why you are rushing to the defence of “Mulvie”, Anoraks club?
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PJG # 23
‘I am surprised you cannot see where the “all” is implied.’
No, I cannot. Perhaps you could explain where you saw it implied?
Perhaps in the word ‘some’? However, ‘some’and ‘all’ have significantly different meanings.
Unless, of course, you know that an overwhelming number of the force are obsessed with branchage infractions. Not getting confused with the honoraries, are you?
People who are anoraks through no fault of their own could get very upset by your nastiness towards them!
And, I wonder why you are rushing to the defence of the police force. Tabards Club?
Take a joke, PJG, you really do ask for it sometimes. Quite often, in fact.
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C Le Verdic#24
“Mick who do you want in charge, a top police officer with extensive experience of policing some of the most difficult areas of the UK – or some local dozeball whose idea of a criminal is someone who breaks the branchage law”
In the context of Mouldy answering the question of mick #7
“Why bother having a rank structure with promotions in the SoJP when they keep importing outsiders to fill the top job?????”
I read Mouldie is implying the only candidates the present SOJP can put forward are”dozeballs”
What do say it implies?
“People who are anoraks through no fault of their own could get very upset by your nastiness towards them!”
I draw your attention to “your”
“if the truth really hurts some people so much I would be happy to go along with” some other description instead”
“SCUM “Abrasive was it not?
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‘“SCUM “Abrasive was it not?’
It was perfectly apposite in the context of my post about the peripheral behaviour of certain smokers. Therefore I stick with it. What would most people call them? Downright inconsiderate and selfish, at best.
I never said that all smokers were scum, only those people who behave as outlined in my post.
The capitalised ‘SCUM’ was not from me so please do not keep throwing it back at me.
neither did I introduce the highlife/lowlife aspect to that debate.
You’ve really lost me with the above explanation of where you got “all” from. Has anyone else worked that out?
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C Le Verdic # 24 and PJG # 25. Come guys, life’s too short to argue like this. The sad facts are there is nobody currently serving in the SoJP who has the right qualities or qualifications to be the Chief Officer. That doesn’t mean there aren’t still some well intentioned, highly motivated people in the job.
As for ‘dozeballs’ – well I met a few when I was in the job. Every organisation has them – lets be realistic. However I never dealt with the branchage law. I investigated sexual assauts, grave and criminal assaults, thefts, robberies, fraud cases, oh and a handful of murders. I also dealt with fights, public disorder, road traffic collisions, drink drivers and drugs offences. Most things infact, but not the branchage law
Ah yes Mr. Le Verdic – ‘Sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me.’
‘Dozeball’ indeed.
PJG – thanks for your effort, however there is little point in squabbling over a bit of name calling.
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C Le Verdic and PJG, I truly believe you would make the greatest of friends; you have so much in common, such as:
- you are both fighting against boredom (hence the regularity of your posts – no criticism intended);
- you both like to liven up your daily activities with quarrels (each a similacrum of the previous one);
- you are both eager to fight over unimportant words rather than important facts or views;
- you both feel the need to quarrel at the same time (indicating perfect synchronicity).
All that (note the intentional use of “All”) is surely enough to form the basis of an excellent friendship…most marriages are based on far less!
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I appreciate your comment that it is not worth squabbling over name calling and agree.
However you need to go further back through the posts to attribute ‘dozeball’ correctly. Unless, of course, you were calling me one, in which case I’m not that bothered and it might have been better spelt with an ‘s’!
PJG’s #25 was quoting a quote.
I merely enjoyed commenting on PJG’s very predictable response as a police enthusiast. My support for police is less unconditional!
Likewise it came as no surprise to see your goodself joining this particular thread, why not, it’s something close to you heart as are all Jersey matters (except sport) to me.
At the same time, I enjoyed Mulvie’s wisecrack about the branchage. In a similar vein, I would visualise honorary police as sucking a stem of grass while wearing a used fertiliser sack; but that doesn’t make it a fact.
I don’t believe that Mulvie intended that it should be taken too seriously, except by PJG.
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Needless to say my post#29 should have been addressed to Blue Knight but I expect that he has found it by now and realises that anyway.
Sue, I reckon I would be able to spot PJG a mile off, I know him so well. If not, with a bit of detective work by Blue Knight, we should be able to identify him!
Regarding marriage, I’m only spoken to, not spoken for so if anyone is interested in getting a foothold in Jersey…
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Monsieur Le Verdic. I can recall a time in the 50s and 60s, when you would see the Honorary Police sucking on a stem of grass. Large numbers of their ranks were involved in agriculture, either dairy farmers or growers. There was a lot of community spirit around in those days.
The new Chief Officer will have to come to terms with a different style of policing to that in London. He will need to rebuild bridges that have had a battering in the past ten years and part of that will be to maintain the relationship between the Honorary Police and States Police.
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C Le Verdic 31.
Re: “I’m only spoken to, not spoken for so if anyone is interested in getting a foothold in Jersey…”
So CLV, you’re up for the challenge eh, brave man!
I’ve prepared a minimum-requirements list for the candidates:
- excellent knowledge of the English language (they must not forget that ‘Marriage’ is not a word – it is a ‘SENTENCE’);
- left-wing political views (conservative at times – as you like a good debate);
- not too young (I believe you are rather ‘mature’ and mature men are prone to…mmm…chills, therefore, cannot cope with ladies with…mmm…high fevers).
Good luck! I hope you find the right mate, someone who will really care for you…by the way, are you rich? Women find it so much easier to carry the chains of wedlock when there’s plenty of money in the bank!
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Sue Premacy#28
No thanks, ugh, I would prefer to remain a virgin.
I will also continue to be a conscience to those who can’t help themselves and get a dose of the “I am better than you” when they see an easy target.
CleV, sorry about the SCUM, but as you were the originator, please read scum in all my advice to you where it is mentioned.
OK Blue Knight, “dozeballs”,
Perhaps I did overreact a little bit.
But only a very, incredibly, small, “little bit”.
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Blue Knight#27
To assist in the completion of your education.
http://www.jerseylaw.je/Law/display.aspx?url=lawsinforce%2fconsolidated%2f25%2f25.950_Loi(1914)SurLaVoirie_RevisedEdition_1January2006.htm
Mind you, you will have to get the spelling police involved if this is a law for an English speaking Island.
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If this guy has the integrity that his pedigree espouses he won’t last long..if he stays it will be that the Jersey fog has descended on him and taken him in.
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One key strength he will bring to the job is the ability to deal with those who consider themselves senior politicians and we have a lot of those for such a small island. I am sure with his length of service experience and contacts what passes for a government in Jersey will hold no fears for him in a pre-retirement job which will top up his pension.
What we do need however is a police authority for him to report to!
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