Direct entry superintendent: I should not have compared bobbies to binmen
An ex-RAF officer who became the first person to join a police force as a superintendent without serving at lower ranks has been forced into an apologetic U-turn for comments that appeared to compare constables to binmen.
May 26, 2016
By Nick Hudson
An ex-RAF officer who became the first person to join a police force as a superintendent without serving at lower ranks has been forced into an apologetic U-turn for comments that appeared to compare constables to binmen.
Adam Thomson, who joined North Yorkshire Police in 2014 as part of the Governments direct entry scheme, stirred resentment among police constables with remarks made in an academic journal.
The first group of direct-entry superintendents, who graduated earlier this month, brought an angry response when they questioned the 12 weeks patrolling they had been required to carry out alongside PCs and sergeants.
High-flying Superintendent Thomson is reported to have said: “If I was training to be the leader of the council, I wouldn`t be asked to do a few mornings with the bin lorry first.”
His comments included in a university research paper published this month were made anonymously, but the force confirmed they were made by Supt Thomson after a policing blog called for him to take responsibility for what he had said.
The direct entrant told Police Professional: I have the utmost respect for police personnel at all levels, and any comments I made about how direct entrants are trained were certainly not intended to denigrate the important work that PCs do.
Personally I found the PC rotation essential to understanding the work of a constable, and Id like to thank the officers that were part of my rotation, and who provided a valuable insight that will help me in my command.
The point I was trying to make was that in other sectors it is usual to enter the organisation at different levels and with the right training and support be successful.
“If the reporting of what I said caused offence to police constables, I apologise.
When asked whether he might be “missing the point” in accepting that whatever rank an officer may attain, they are 24 hours, seven days a week, a `constable` in the service of the police, Supt Thomson declined to elaborate on the question.
Steve White, head of the Police Federation of England and Wales told The Times that the comment had been received like a fart in a spacesuit.
Mike Stubbs, chairman of North Yorkshire Police Federation, said: The comments, if as reported, were unfortunate. None of our members have yet complained to us.
Perhaps that is because, as police officers, they all know that their words and actions can be subject to the most intense scrutiny and criticism, even where they have acted with the very best of intentions.
I hope this is something that Superintendent Thomson and others will reflect on, when dealing with allegations against our members in the future.
A spokesperson from North Yorkshire Police said: Direct entrants are encouraged to be reflective and to bring a different perspective to policing, so it perhaps isnt surprising that they expressed different views on the PC rotation that formed part of their training.
At North Yorkshire Police we believe it is important that direct entrants are exposed to the grass-root business of policing as part of their training, but that is not the same as saying that a superintendent needs to have worked through every rank before they take up command.
As a service we recognise the need to be open to different approaches.
Prior to joining North Yorkshire Police, Supt Thomson served much of his career at 34th Squadron of The Royal Air Force Regiment, a ground fighting force based at RAF Leeming in North Yorkshire.
After working as a