'They expect you to be comfortable with putting yourself forward – that courageous position'

The Code of Ethics is designed to ensure the core values and standards of behaviour expected of all members of the policing profession in England and Wales are maintained. Here, West Yorkshire Police's Superintendent Gareth Crossley, shares how these values extend beyond the uniform and help influence everyday life.

When Supt Crossley’s son’s football team needed an official, fellow parents immediately turned to him: “Gareth, you can do that. You’re a copper.”

It was in this simple moment that the deeper public expectations of what a police officer and staff could do were properly laid bare for the officer – lead by stepping forward, take responsibility and make difficult decisions: whether on duty of not.

Supt Crossley recalled how after his son had been playing junior football, he realised that the coach can’t do everything, and soon a referee in matches was needed.

And this is where he came in. Encouraged by the other parents, he soon took up the whistle.

Speaking in a new video for the College of Policing, the officer said: “The bottom line is the public does – okay, the friends, you know, parents that I knew – they expect more of the police.

“They expect you to be comfortable with putting yourself forward – that courageous position. Put yourself in taking responsibility for things, making tough decisions out there on the junior football field, putting yourself out there for potential ridicule or scrutiny.”

He noted the influence the guidelines had on him, because “whether the public actually realise what the Code of Ethics is or isn’t, that no matter how you articulate it, there are certain things that the public expect from policing”.

He continued: “Every day in daily management meetings, I see and read about officers doing things that daily, it reminds me of why we’re in policing.

“What refereeing brings is very much the same challenges. And I say this when people ask me why do I referee. You know, you’ve got two teams there. You’ve got two teams that invite you into play. There’s a set of rules to play for.”

Supt Crossley added: “Let’s look at society. With police by consent, people ask you to come and police them, don’t they? We’re brought in to police, police by consent, by a set of rules that we will abide to. That’s exactly what players do. They come into a football match. They’ve agreed to play by a set of rules. You then, as a referee, have to be courageous in implementing those rules.

“You have to step forward. You have to treat people with respect on the pitch. When I was dealing with junior football, I’d say it’s their cup final every day. That’s how I saw it.”

The Code of Ethics supports everyone in policing to deliver a service that is fair, ethical and can be trusted to make decisions in the interest of keeping people safe.

Supt Crossley’s story forms part of a series of videos to demonstrate how the Code of Ethics shapes police officers and staff behaviour both on and off duty.