In this conversation with Rick Muir, former Assistant Commissioner at the Met and former head of UK counter terrorism policing, Neil Basu, discusses amongst other things:

• How policing has changed over the course of his career
• The big challenges facing Policing in the 2020s and beyond
• What policing needs to do to win back the trust and confidence of the public
• Where should the Police be focusing and how will this change under the new government

Neil Basu, is a retired Metropolitan Police Service officer who served as the Assistant Commissioner Specialist Operations (ACSO) and national lead for Counter Terrorism Policing 2018-2021. He retired in 2022 as a Non-Executive Director at the College of Policing representing National Police Chiefs Council and he was the Leadership and International Strategic Advisor to the College Board. He delivered the 2021 Strategic Command Course for the College, its most senior leadership development programme for aspiring Chief Officers. He retired in November 2022.

Neil was at the forefront of Counter Terrorism policing for over six years during an unprecedented shift in threat, and has been instrumental in strengthening police capability, closer working with intelligence partners, and an increase in preventative interventions to counter radicalisation. During his tenure his teams, in partnership with MI5, disrupted 29 plots, responded to 12 attacks, arrested, charged, and convicted over 600 terrorists.

Neil was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal (QPM) for distinguished service in 2016. In 2022 he received an Honorary Award as Doctor of Laws from Staffordshire University for promoting diversity in policing.

In this conversation, Neil Basu, highlights that policing is overwhelmed, under-resourced, and under-appreciated. He emphasizes the need for clear priorities and support from politicians and the public. He also discusses the relationship between the police and the media, noting the importance of a close relationship while acknowledging the challenges of lazy and biased journalism.

Neil further addresses the impact of social media on public discourse, extremism, and radicalization, calling for platforms to take responsibility for the dangerous content they amplify.

In this conversation, he also discusses the challenges of policing in the UK, including counterterrorism, right-wing extremism, and institutional racism. He highlights the need for a comprehensive approach to addressing extremism, focusing not only on enforcement but also on societal factors such as inequality and community cohesion. Neil emphasizes the importance of acknowledging and addressing institutional racism within the police force, and the need for government leadership and intervention to drive meaningful change.

He also discusses his memoir, ‘Turmoil,’ which reflects on his career in policing and the need for greater appreciation and support for police officers.

Takeaways

• Policing in the UK is overwhelmed, under-resourced, and under-appreciated.
• Clear priorities and support from politicians and the public are necessary to address the challenges faced by the police.
• The relationship between the police and the media is complex, with the need for a close relationship while also acknowledging the issues of lazy and biased journalism.
• Social media has had a profound impact on public discourse, extremism, and radicalization, and platform owners need to take responsibility for the dangerous content they amplify. A comprehensive approach is needed to address extremism, focusing on both enforcement and societal factors such as inequality and community cohesion.
• Institutional racism within the police force must be acknowledged and addressed.
• Government leadership and intervention are necessary to drive meaningful change in policing.
• There is a need for greater appreciation and support for police officers.

Sound Bites

• “Policing is utterly overwhelmed, under-resourced and completely under-appreciated.”
• “We have to start pushing back on politicians and saying we can only do these things. We have to say we’re going to have to prioritize certain things because we can’t do everything.”
• “If politics is capable of doing that to chief constables, what chance have they got to set some priorities and to start dealing with very intractable problems?”
• “Dealing with extremists outside of the national security architecture”
• “Why hasn’t this been declared a terrorist incident?”
• “Why are we still dealing with racism in 2024?”

Chapters

00:00 – Introduction and Background
09:17 – The State of Policing in the UK
18:52 – The Relationship Between Police and Politics
25:30 – The Influence of Social Media
28:23 – Debating Free Speech
29:22 – Tackling Extremism and the Failure of the National Security Architecture
32:42 – The Ignored Challenges: Community Cohesion and Counter Extremism
36:03 – The Role of Right-Wing Extremism in Recent Riots
40:24 – Addressing Institutional Racism in Policing
47:41 – Government Leadership and Intervention for Change