Kevin Hurley

Kevin Hurley served as a Detective Chief Superintendent in the Met

Saturday

Kevin Hurley

The horror of ‘cutting season’

From our UK edition

Yesterday as I went through boarding at Gatwick Airport I smiled as I watched all the excited children going off on their holidays with their families. Everyone had on their new holiday clothes, and despite the crowded check-ins, people were in a good mood. I boarded my flight to Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. Addis is a busy hub with connections across Africa. As we began to cruise, I noticed that many of the women on my flight were wearing full black abayas with hijabs, as were the girls they were with, who were aged between eight and 12. I soon realised that these groups consisted only of women: little girls with their mothers and grannies. There were no men.

Friday

Kevin Hurley

Kate Andrews, Kevin Hurley, Lawrence Bernstein

From our UK edition

21 min listen

On this week's episode, we’ll hear from Kate Andrews on the NHS’s waiting list crisis. (00:52)Next, Kevin Hurley on the impact of demonising the police force. (07:04)And finally, Lawrence Bernstein on the secretive world of speech writing. (12:41)Produced and presented by Sam HolmesSubscribe to The Spectator today and get a £20 Amazon gift voucher:spectator.

Thursday

Kevin Hurley

Anti-police spin is tearing the force apart

From our UK edition

The police watchdog, the IOPC, has recently released a report into social media conversations between officers — and it makes for uncomfortable reading. Some of the comments are appalling, full of arrogance, racism and misogyny. But as we get ready to shower disdain on serving officers once again, I’d like to raise the question: what effect do you think this constant castigation of all police officers has? The offending messages were exchanged three to five years ago between half a dozen foolish or morally weak young officers. They were a small part of the successful, crime-busting, 120-strong West End Zone Impact Team. Yet politicians from all parties — Sadiq Khan, Diane Abbott, Priti Patel — reacted by berating the whole force.

Saturday

Thursday

Kevin Hurley

The thin blue line: why are relations between police and black youths just so bad?

From our UK edition

45 min listen

On the podcast this week, a former police officer gives his take on why black youths loathe the police (01:05); we discuss why Downing Street would prefer Joe Biden to win (17:25); and will anything really change after the pandemic? (30:50).With former Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner Kevin Hurley; campaigner Katrina Ffrench; the Spectator's Political Editor James Forsyth; the Spectator's Economics Correspondent Kate Andrews; and our columnists Matthew Parris and Rory Sutherland.Presented by Cindy Yu.

Kevin Hurley

To save black lives, police top brass must face reality

From our UK edition

I was a borough commander in west London and come from a long line of officers — and I can tell you that it’s fast becoming impossible to police the streets. The police are attacked on all sides. They’re told both that they’re too aggressive and too politically correct; too understanding and too intolerant. They’re required to reduce the level of violent crime on the street and yet told they’re racist if they stop and search young black men and ‘put hands in pockets’ to check for knives. As a society we can shout and scream at the police, regulate them, scrutinise them, sack a few, bring in external bosses from industry. We can try to ‘re-educate’ them and have an independent complaints system.