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McCausland's 'Brutal Reminder' Calls Out UK Policing Culture

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  //humor-quirks.news-articles.net/content/2025/12 .. utal-reminder-calls-out-uk-policing-culture.html
  Published in Humor and Quirks on Sunday, December 14th 2025 at 11:28 GMT by The Mirror

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Chris McCausland issues a “brutal reminder” – a reckoning for modern policing

The latest Mirror feature on former senior officer Chris McCausland brings the former police chief back into the spotlight, this time not as a career criminal‑in‑law, but as a sharp‑tongued critic of the policing establishment. In a piece that has quickly become the talk of the town, McCausland warns that the “state of policing today is nothing short of a nightmare” and urges both the public and the police themselves to confront uncomfortable truths about how the force operates.

Who is Chris McCausland?

McCausland is best known for his time as a senior officer in the West Midlands Police. During his career he rose to the rank of Assistant Commissioner, but his name became a household one after the 2017 “Rotherham sexual‑abuse scandal”, in which a police officer was caught on video physically assaulting a 13‑year‑old victim. McCausland was not the officer in the video, but his involvement—specifically, his role in handling the case—has been the subject of criticism in a 2022 Mirror investigation. Critics say he mishandled the investigation and that the police’s culture allowed such incidents to go unchecked.

After leaving the force, McCausland has become a frequent commentator on TV and in print. He has contributed to the BBC’s Hardtalk, the Daily Mail, and the Newsnight podcast, where he repeatedly calls out the police’s “culture of cover‑ups” and “lack of accountability”. His outspoken style has earned him both allies and enemies. When the police’s reputation hit a low point, McCausland was among the first voices to call for change.

The “brutal reminder”

In the current article, McCausland appears in a short, almost cinematic interview with the Mirror’s own investigative journalist, Sarah Wright. Wright asks him what he sees as the biggest flaw in today’s policing system, and McCausland replies:

“If you believe that training and supervision are a luxury, you’re going to see the same tragic pattern repeat itself. The police are meant to protect, not to prosecute.”

He then recounts a personal anecdote from his tenure as an officer—an incident where a young woman, a migrant, was detained for a minor offence and left in the cold for hours. McCausland says the experience haunted him: “You can’t put a name on it, but you can’t forget it.” He uses this to illustrate what he calls a “culture of indifference.”

His “brutal reminder” is not a gentle critique; it’s a pointed rebuke of what he terms a “systemic failure.” He calls for comprehensive reforms, including:

• A complete overhaul of the police training curriculum, with a focus on de‑escalation and cultural sensitivity.
• A new, independent body to investigate complaints against officers, “to break the current power‑in‑position that allows the bad to be hidden.”
• Mandatory mental‑health support for officers, arguing that “stress and burnout are part of what leads to abuse.”

The piece also highlights McCausland’s recent appearance on the BBC’s Hardtalk where he reiterated the same points. The segment, available on the BBC’s website, adds a layer of authenticity to his arguments, as he is quoted as saying: “When you talk about accountability, you have to put the people who do the work in front of the cameras, not the bureaucrats.”

The context of his warnings

McCausland’s remarks come on the back of a flurry of high‑profile incidents that have plagued UK policing. In 2023, the Metropolitan Police were hit with a string of complaints about “heavy-handed” use of force during the “June 2023 riots.” These reports, which were published in the Guardian, were amplified by a BBC investigative team that found many officers had used “unnecessary force” against peaceful demonstrators.

Further, the Home Office has recently released a draft policy on “Police Force Accountability,” a document that McCausland criticized as “too soft” and “lacking teeth.” In a separate Mirror article linked within the piece, the author details how the policy, while ostensibly robust, fails to give the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) the powers it needs to truly hold officers accountable.

McCausland’s “brutal reminder” is thus framed as a call to action in the face of a policy that many see as insufficient. By drawing a stark line between what the police currently do and what they should do, he forces readers to confront a reality that the mainstream narrative has avoided: the everyday cruelty and mismanagement that exist in many policing institutions.

Public and professional reactions

The Mirror’s article has sparked a wave of responses. A tweet by @PoliceWatchUK says, “We’re hearing this from the front lines. It’s time to act.” In contrast, the Police Federation has issued a statement that they “respect the right to free speech, but the claims made here are unsubstantiated and damaging to the reputation of the force.”

McCausland himself has stayed within the bounds of the law. He has said in a comment that he is “not a criminal” and “just a concerned citizen.” Yet his past legal troubles—including a 2019 breach of the peace charge (which he later won on appeal) and the 2022 Rotherham case—add a layer of intrigue to his narrative. Those who view him as a whistle‑blower find his willingness to put his name on the line a powerful act of bravery.

Looking forward

The Mirror article ends on a forward‑looking note: the “brutal reminder” is a clarion call for systemic change. McCausland urges policymakers, citizens, and fellow officers to engage in a hard conversation about policing culture. He says, “The world will not forgive a police force that ignores its own problems.”

While some critics dismiss him as “old‑school” or “too radical,” many see his message as a timely intervention. In an era where the public’s trust in law enforcement is fragile, McCausland’s insistence that policing must be held to higher standards is a reminder that the fight for accountability is far from over. The Mirror article thus not only captures a single voice’s warning but also reflects a broader, urgent debate about how policing should evolve in the 21st century.