Policing

Michael has no formal policy on policing other than to ensure the community receives the best, unbiased service possible. We are all well-aware of the tremendous pressures put on the country’s police services from the challenges of recent years, from COVID, from government austerity measures and more.

Michael’s own approach is to try and assist the community in providing greater public safety without burdening the tax-payer. The best example of this approach is something he worked on many years ago.

About twenty years ago Michael conceived of a new advanced technology emergency response network for the emergency services throughout Greater Manchester. This would use region-wide communications and central management to respond quickly to sudden large-scale emergencies, such as natural disaster, major accident or terror attack. The resources of this network could even have ben adapted to creating a state-of-the-art Track & Trace (TAT) app and service for the current COVID crisis.

This is an example of Michael’s technical thinking in addressing one-off emergencies in a technical fashion. There is another technology Michael has in mind that could help the police with their work and allow the public to be more reassured of their safety, while deterring criminal and anti-social behaviour throughout the region. Currently this remains commercially confidential, but there are opportunities to deploy a new “police reinforcement” service throughout the community, develop new advanced technologies, establish new local manufacturing and deliver the technology very cost-effectively while adding new economic benefits for its deployment locally and world-wide.

Part of this solution provides new home security packages, including advanced CCTV technology, to the homes of vulnerable individuals and communities.

Another aspect is to look again at the issues of urban design that encourages greater anti-social behaviour and less safety in public spaces. with my personal interests in the design of homes and our wider urban environment I am aware of the way the creation of modern communities lends itself to poorer security. Though not directly related to policing we have to consider the broader role then our living environment has in anti-social behaviour, making our streets less safe through inadequate design.