US ‘supercop’ talks about advising UK cops on gangs

| 21/09/2011

(CNS): The man who is credited with turning around troubled police departments in New York and Los Angeles is featured in a BBC news programme today in which he talks about advising the London's Metropolitan Police on tackling gang violence. Former US police chief Bill Bratton voiced his disappointment at not getting the chance to run the UK capital’s police service but the home secretary said the post had to be held by a UK citizen. Bratton told the BBC's Hardtalk he had no quarrel with the decision, but said: "I would have liked the opportunity."

Although some had believed the UK prime minister, David Cameron, had wanted Bratton to take the top cop job, Bernard Hogan-Howe was named the new commissioner of the Metropolitan Police last week. Nevertheless, his advice has been sought by the UK in the wake of the recent riots there and Bratton is to be an informal adviser to the Home Office, though senior police officers have questioned the plan to have him advise on tackling gang violence.

Sir Hugh Orde, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, said the British model of policing was fundamentally different from the American one.

But Bratton told Hardtalk, "Sir Hugh has his opinion, I have mine. I don't think there are significant differences between the goal of both police services, which is to reduce crime, fear and disorder.  I think we have a lot more similarities than differences and I think we have a lot to learn from each other."

He said he believed many aspects of policing in New York or Los Angeles could be transferred to London and other cities.

Bratton made his name in the US by combining a "zero tolerance" of petty crime, being tough on gangs and building a strong relationship with the law-abiding community.

Watch the full interview on Hardtalk on BBC World News Wednesday and see Hardtalk website here

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Has someone given this man an application?????.

     

  2. Florence Goring Nozza says:

    agreed

  3. Anonymous says:

    Cayman's problem is accountability. Even if investigations take place that is usually where the buck stops. From the top position on this island to the lowest is not made to suffer consequences for their actions. There is all talk and nothing further. How do we expect young daring fops to fear the law when it is not adheared to at the top and I mean top.

     

  4. Dreadlock Holmes says:

    When young people see their elders in dispare over the "cost of living" (strange term isn't it?) and a lack of employment, when bankers and high powered individuals are allowed to rape an economy and become rich, when governments are inhabited by ineffectual self-serving dishonest politicians. When bogus wars are declared in order to cease oil fields. When contractors and multinationals reap the profits from over billing and fraud from the same wars. When an oil giant such as BP can destroy an entire ecosystem and make a profit from it. When none of these culprits go to jail but instead become consultants living the high life alongside government officials.

    Then the youth take a look at the big picture and all our sentiments spoken to them about the value of hard work and honesty and living right fall on deaf ears.

    Riots, gangs, etc. are a syptom of a dysfunctional society. Where values are obscured. Because we don't even understand them anymore.

    Tell me the difference between 13 bankers made famous in Simon Johnston's book and the boys at Enron and WorldCom and the Savings and Loans and Dick Cheney and Halliburton……and a gang.

  5. Anonymous says:

    Even if he is not interested in taking a position in Cayman, we can still implement his methods – namely, zero tolerance for petty crimes, being tough on gangs, and strengthening relationships with law abiding citizens.

    What this means (and has been pleaded for for ages) is for the police to actually start enforcing the laws.  First, increase the fines for all traffic violations, then set up regular check stops and start ticketing people for speeding, overtaking, illegal tints on their windows, ILLEGAL TINTED COVERS ON THEIR LICENCE PLATES (which negates the value of our $3m CCTV system), reckless driving, drunk driving, etc etc

    Once the generally law abiding citizens have their act together, the criminals will be easy to spot.

  6. Anonymous says:

    CAYMAN NEEDS BRATTON HIRE HIM ASAP!  NO DOUBT THIS IS THE RIGHT MAN THAT CAN GET THE JOB DONE!   Baines I know you can hear the people crys, we are pleading with you as Caymanians to get this man to work with your department,,,US is the best when it comes to fighting crimes, they are number one in my book.  Cayman is now declare a Country of emergency, day by day minute by minute we are losing our young sons.  Mr. Baines use your brains wisely spend some of that 14million dollars you all got by getting new police officers from the U.S.A and a top dog like Bratton trust me you will see a big change then and of course they will solve all the cold cases that you all could'nt solve.  They are the best men for the job so start hiring TEAM USA !!!!!

  7. Anonymous says:

    Mr. David Baines..it's me again.  There's your sling shot in the picture above.  You don't need a baton, you need Bratton.

  8. Anonymous says:

    Get him here now!!!!!!!!!

  9. Anonymous says:

    Bring this guy in as a consultant for 1 year.  I'd bet it's the best money the gov't and/or police department spend all year!

  10. Five Oh Joe says:

    Forget him, hire me.

    I have a fool proof method of policing…

    Get a gigantic saw, and slice away whatever's attaching West Bay to the rest of Grand Cayman. Then give it a good ol' shove towards the north North.

    After a few days of floating, W'Bay will be Fidel's problem.

    Crime issues = Solved.

     

     

    • Anonymous says:

      After reading your comments, I wouldn't hire you to pull bush around my yard much less as a police advisor. You can't see that this is island wide problem dumb dumb. Educate yourself.

      Peace Cayman from WB straight to EE!!!

    • Anonymous says:

      you forgot about the canoes smarty

  11. Anonymous says:

    If the top job in the UK police department must be given to a UK national, by God the Cayman is way behind.  What do all the expats have to say about this now? SILENCE, NOT A SINGLE SOLITARY WORD… What about the rollover? CAN'T HEAR YOU! This smacks of entitlement attitude, HELLOW……..Helllllllllllllllow , STILL SILENCE!!!!! ANYONE HERE, ON THE SUBJECT?  No not over there, just right here! Can't hear you, hellow, hellow, anyone here? Goshseems like the expats have all gone, hellow, hellow, are you there?

    • Dennie Warren Jr. says:

      British duplicity, works on Caymanian every time.

    • Anonymous says:

      I think the term you want is British National and depending on the limitations could include a pool of over 60 million people, heck I reckon you would qualify as being elligible to apply.

      It's not really relevant to have a dig and try and compare ring fencing a single job in the UK to that of Cayman's protectionist laws covering all jobs.

      It's probably more to do with ensuring the applicant has developed years of experience in the same legal and law enforcement system than it is about making it dependant on a birth right.

       

    • Anonymous says:

      Hello!!!!!

  12. Anonymous says:

    Well can we give him the top job here? Nobody will miss Baines who must  be feeling like the most unaccomplished Chief of police ever!!!

    • Anon says:

      The guy has had the top job in NY and LA and was wanted in London. Do you really think he would be interested in Cayman?   

      • Anonymous says:

        Let him have Bridger’s Rubber Duck Floatie to play with on the beach maybe? No wait, this guy’s a real cop. He’d want a shooting range and a police force properly schooled in the basic law of evidence.

        What’s Bridger doing these days?

  13. Anonymous says:

    Why don't we bring him here?  His methods seem to work.

  14. Anonymous says:

    While he is at it….funnel some advise this way as well!!

  15. Thankful Again says:

    Well since we don't have a problem hiring outside Cayman….can we fire Mr. Baines and Hire this man.  I am sure the tactics of the RCIPS will change almost before our eyes – for the positice…..BRATTON for Commissioner.

  16. Whodatis says:

    We are mixing apples and oranges here.

    What happened all over the UK this summer was not the result of "gang activity". In fact, the reality of the situation is far more disturbing than gang activity.

    Were gangs taking part in the chaos – most definitely … everyone else was!

    (Are the 20 year old Black males caught on CCTV in Hackney, London in the same "gang" as the CCTV captured 14 year old White girls in Manchester?)

    Cameron and his cronies make me sick to my stomach by the rhetoric they constantly spew and the images and footage that they promote within the British media.

    (Repost from August 15, 2011)

    " … I trust that what transpired over the last week all over the UK helps readers to understand what individuals such as myself have been saying from the time thisforum was created.
    Some mocked me, called me "anti-British", even a racist at times … but look at the streets (and state) of the UK today. From the most diverse areas such as Tottenham, London to the most quintessentially British such as Toxteth, Liverpool – we saw men, women, teens and children of ALL ethnic backgrounds running amock causing havoc in their own communities. …"

    Click on the following links. They contain footage obtained by PRIVATE CITIZENS (mobile phones / video cameras) from VARIOUS parts of the UK wherein people from ALL ETHNIC BACKGROUNDS and AGE GROUPS can be clearly seen rioting, attacking, looting and creating havoc.

    See links:
    http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmW2BFfQXh0&feature=related
    

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsS8kTQkjfE


    http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2g4M5el0_A&feature=related


    http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7zGANyucS0
    

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnK09TVvfxQ&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL


    http://http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14458424


    http://http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14470533


    http://http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14456065
    
http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxgxYMf2hb0&feature=feedu
    http://http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14513517

    (*Aplogies if some links are now dead. I don't have the time to double-check each one and I have a feeling that many have been ordered off the websites by now – you know, to preserve the status quo.)

    How any reasonable individual can place the blame for this nation-wide destruction on GANGS is beyond me.

    Instead, this was evidence that generations of British leadership and government has severely failed its people.

    If we are not careful we may find ourselves in their shoes if we continue to adopt every directive sent our way via the "mother country".

    We already have the gangs to contend with, thankfully our young people as a collective do not appear to be as randomly psychotic as many over yonder … yet.

    • Anonymous says:

      I'm not sure of the relevance of this post to the particular news story. This is to do with gangs in the UK – not the summer riots they had. 

       

      Either way I think we have seen evidence here that quite a significant section of the local community is capable of looting and causing havoc in similar style. Ivan taught us that.

       

      Our policing is up to us – the UK doesn't send "directives". The UK isn't interested in Cayman.

  17. Anonymous says:

    We need him here in the cayman islands.

  18. Anonymous says:

    Get this man a work permit. 

  19. Anonymous says:

    Cayman, here is your chance!  Just hire this guy and stipulate a given contract length but require him to training Caymanians.

    • Anonymous1(:0:) says:

      I would bet my left foot that Mr.Bratton would come to cayman to fix our problems HOWEVER, we the people have to stop our whining and brow beating when he enforce the law.We have a tendency to cry down who ever or what ever is done if it dont suit us. The laws must be obeyed and cajoling our criminals in their behaviour is a part of whats wrong here.

      I dare venture to say that in every crime thats commited here that some family member knows about it, yet do nothing about it.  have some cahoones and speak up, not getting in the way of justice.

      Our judicial system needs a lot of shaking up, we need stiffer laws, three strikes YOU"RE out, simple as that.

      God bless these little Islands.