THE POLICE are not merely instruments of order, but may, at times, be its most ardent adversary (Millen: 2016).

From the Miners strike; the Hillsborough disaster; the Chicago Crime Commission; police corruption in the USA; undercover policing of demonstrations; the Guildford Four; Counter terrorism; and the Rampart scandal in the US, my book is about the need for political and operational reform of policing in the USA and the UK which has invariably been blocked and frustrated by political processes. With the tragic killing of George Floyd, I am compelled to bring the issue of race, policing and politics to the fore.

The very public killing of George Floyd, has again, seared another indelible mark in the minds and the consciousness of every right thinking man, women, boy, girl, who regardless of race, gender or class; can for a moment, see themselves and the ones they love in similar unfortunate circumstances. 

People of colour live each day, literally a hairs breadth away from some expression of “othering”: the most potent form of which is the threat and loss of our lives. 

Deaths at the hands of the police will change when politicians are called “effectively” to account.

“The officer kneeling on Mr Floyd’s neck had no cares in the world”

The first thing that continues to shock me whenever a life is lost, is the blatant disregard invariably shown by the officer/s who commits the offence. In this case, the officer kneeling on Mr Floyd’s neck had no cares in the world: he was wrong and he was strong.

Secondly, I was startled by the inability of his four colleagues to serve and protect the interests of an individual who having been effectively restrained, posed no risk to himself or others. Indeed, the Asian officer was vociferously challenging those who implored him to assist Mr Floyd.

The third thing that shocks is the inability of those bystanders who could see that Mr Floyd was dying but yet they felt completely unable – due to the “power of force” bequeathed in police officers – to take assertive action to assist a dying man in their midst. This speaks of the all prevailing powers of the police and the need for there to be effect “real-time” counter measures to halt the abusive behaviours of malign police officers in the moment.

Slave Patrols were the precursor to modern policing

There is nothing new here. The system of policing adopted by the early English settlers in America was modelled on what they had known in Europe and in particular England. The British system of sheriffs, constables and the night watch were easily adapted to the British colonies in America and they were effective for securing the towns and villages.

The first night watch was established in Boston, 12 April, 1631 and as colonial cities grew, other colonies established their own night watches and Sheriffs. Over time, with the exponential population growth in US cities, the mix of commerce, increased economic wealth, territorial expansion into Indian territories, poverty and poor security, a new response to law and order was required as the system of Watch and Sheriffs were ineffective against growing lawlessness and banditry. As a result, in the northern states, vigilante groups emerged and meted out their own brutal justice on criminals and anyone who met with their displeasure. 

The system of slavery in southern colonies resulted in the American south developing a unique system of policing. Southern states brought in the first mounted US patrols, called slave patrols. 

Slave Patrols were the precursor to modern policing in the United States of America and represented the first system of patrols where mounted officers were responsible for controlling and policing slaves when they were away from their plantations. Slave patrols were ubiquitous throughout the south and draconian measures were adopted to control, detain and kill black males and to retrieve runaway slaves preventing a repeat of the revolts of 1657, and 1712. 

Slave patrols were so successful that some northeastern and Midwestern states passed laws authorising the establishment of various associations to undertake similar activities. Articles I and II of the US Constitution, the Second Amendment and the Militia Act of 1792, required free white males (there were white Irish slaves too) between the ages of eighteen and forty-five to arm themselves and attend regular drills. 

“On the streets, the police are the judge and jury”

This is the legacy that we have today and it is why predominantly black men, Hispanic/Latino and Indians die disproportionally at the hands of patrolling police. The high numbers of deaths of American citizens, particularly African-American men, at the hands of law enforcement officers is a continuation of the old systems of oppression and lawlessness that existed in early America. This has continued in 2020 as members of slave patrols became law enforcement officers, and joined police agencies across America.

Historic links to the KKK

These newly sworn in officers would hand jobs down to their families and friends. If one charted the familial backgrounds of police officers in some smaller Midwestern cities like Ferguson; one would find historic and significant links to right wing organisations and groups like the Klu Klux Klan.

In today’s America, many have aligned themselves to a Commander in Chief who they believe is sympathetic to their racist and white supremacist views. These officers have learnt the codes, the morality, the assumptions and the practices handed down from their forbears. 

In my book, I identify seven lies damned lies about policing: chief amongst these is the assertion that our police services are primarily crime-fighting institutions. Ask any police officer in the USA or in England and Wales and they will explain that police officers pick up the pieces where institutions have failed. It is therefore our politicians who are failing us all–epitomised by the ill conceived messages from politicians to citizens and police forces during this COVID-19 lockdown.

On the streets, the police are the judge and jury, they are empowered to restrain and deprive citizens of their freedoms: invariably, bad cops don the badge with nefarious motives and take advantage of those who seemingly have no voice. 

The police often overstep the mark and act as though it were a person in itself forgetting that it doesn’t exists for its own sake: it exists to serve and protect.

It would be easy to conclude that the police routinely act with impunity and are systematically out of control, exhibiting predatory like behaviour. Undoubtedly, some do.

I have close friends in police forces across this land: they are good officers and they look just like me! For their sake and for our sake, we need to weed out the bad, bad guys and girls who merely pretend to serve and protect.

Dr Floyd Millen is a political scientist and a former adviser to the Metropolitan Police Authority. His book Police Reform and Policing Accountability, is available from Amazon.