Bonus Episode
Iain Donnelly
Former Superintendant of West Midlands Police,
Iain Donnelly, has over 25 years in various intelligence, covert policing,
counter-terrorism, and serious crime investigation roles in London and the West
Midlands. Iain is also the author of Tango Juliet Foxtrot and the presenter of a podcast of the same name, exploring how the British police have changed over the last 30 years in
response to ten years of budget cuts combined with exponentially growing
demand.
Iain joins me on the Community Safety Podcast to discuss why closing 50% of the police
stations in England and Wales and 75% of the police stations in London had a
hugely negative effect on effective relationship-building between police
officers and the community they serve.
We dig into neighbourhood policing’s
impact on the rise of knife crime in the UK, and Iain shares stories about his
first postings in London and what he learned about policing and human behaviour
during his training period.
"Neighbourhood policing, for
me, was such an unbelievably flexible resource to be able to problem solve all
sorts of issues." - Iain Donnelly
Today on The Community Safety Podcast:
● Iain’s experience of growing up in Belfast at the height of the Troubles in Northern Ireland
● How the British Army’s loss turned out to be the Metropolitan Police's gain
The differences between methods of policing when Iain joined the service and when he left.
● Iain’s views on the efficacy of communitypolicing
● Why the Police Federation and the Superintendent's Association have been proved correct when they said ten years ago that harsh budget cuts would have far-reaching consequences for public safety
● The impact of COVID-19 on the relationship between the police and the public
● Why Iain feels that social media has been toxic for policing
● Whether policing is seen as an attractive career option in 2022
Connect with Iain Donnelly:
● Tango Juliet Foxtrot: How did it all go wrong for British policing? by Iain Donnelly
Connect with The Community Safety Podcast:
● TheCommunity Safety Podcast Website