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UK: Policing policy under scrutiny
The Scotsman Thursday 06 Nov 1997 Fears grow that unorthodox methods are being used to get arrests in Zero Tolerance scheme By Tanya Thompson Controversial Zero Tolerance policing has come under scrutiny after two CID officers in England were suspended amid allegations that they offered suspects heroin in exchange for confessions. The news could have serious implications for Strathclyde Police, which is one of a number of forces across Britain to have adopted elements of the revolutionary crime policy. Devotees of the system, pioneered in New York, claim the rate of offending has plummeted as officers crack down on street thieves and petty criminals in a bid to prevent more serious crimes. Detective Superintendent Ray Mallon of Cleveland Police in Middlesbrough was hailed a hero among the police fraternity as the man who introduced Zero Tolerance and reduced burglaries to a ten-year low. But the officers suspended from Cleveland Police on full pay have brought the entire policy under the microscope. There is growing concern that unorthodox policing methods are being used as high targets continue to be set within the force. Mr Mallon, widely regarded as a maverick when he took up his post last November, had vowed to quit if he failed to cut crime by 20 per cent within 18 months. True to his word, figures released last night for October boasted a reduction of overall crime by 22 per cent with a 37 per cent reduction in house burglaries. Violent crimes were also down by 14 per cent. As the Zero Tolerance initiative in New York swept the streets clean of thieves and pick-pockets while dramatically reducing serious crime, there was hope of similar success in Britain. But the dream may have turned sour after several cases in Cleveland were thrown out with police evidence found to be unsafe. The Crown Prosecution Service in England is understood to be considering a review of a further 500 cases. Zero Tolerance has its dissenters, notably the Thames Valley Chief Constable Charles Pollard who branded it a "quick fix" solution. He warned that it was "myth peddling"; and said: "Zero Tolerance peddles the myth of police omnipotence when we know from experience that the search for quick results disastrously backfires." Despite the criticisms, Strathclyde Police has continued to espouse aspects of the scheme in the hope of seeing a similar success in Scotland. Although the force has denied employing Zero Tolerance, many of the measures used such as the Spotlight policies borrow heavily on the US system. Strathclyde was the first police force in Britain to launch its version of the tough New York policy, Broken Windows. The campaign aimed to deter all levels of crime and prevent minor transgressors such as school truants from progressing to more serious crimes. Operation Spotlight in Strathclyde has also been credited with playing a key role in last year's drop in crime to a 15-year low. Chief Inspector Caroline Scott of Strathclyde Police said last night there were no plans to change its policies in the light of the Cleveland suspensions. She said: "Strathclyde Police doesn't operate a policy of Zero Tolerance. There will be similar methods but there are also substantial differences. "It is important to recognise the different legal systems in Scotland and England. What happened in Cleveland bears no relation to Strathclyde Police. Our officers behave ethically and responsibly. We are a professional police service and we have a duty to operate within the confines of the law. Just like Cleveland's example, Strathclyde's success has come in areas affecting quality of life. Since adopting Spotlight policies last year, house break-ins are down 13 per cent, car crime has fallen by 24 per cent and violent crime has been reduced by 13 per cent. William Bratton, the former New York police chief who created the Zero Tolerance anti-crime strategy had urged police chiefs in Britain to follow his example. His policy depended on a heavy police deployment. If every fare dodger, vandal, drug addict and litterbug was challenged, more serious offences would be discouraged too. The phenomenal success of this strategy in New York city, where murders have fallen by 63 per cent in four years, had silenced the critics. But now serious questions are being asked about the kind of methods employed to ensure the success of Zero Tolerance. A spokesman for Cleveland Police last night said that despite the erious allegations against the two CID officers, there were no plans for a policy U-turn. He said: "It is a proven policy which we will not be changing. "Officers are asked to be firm and are told they must act within the law at all times. "There is no question of officers bending the rules. As Det Sup Mallon says, every officer must have integrity, integrity, integrity."
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