SMT Online's opinion canvassed by The London Evening Standard

30 Jan 09

SMT Online’s editor Brian Sims’ views on the appointment of Sir Paul Stephenson as the next Metropolitan Police Commissioner have been printed in The London Evening Standard.

Widely regarded as ‘The Voice of London’, The Evening Standard circulates to just under 300,000 people and boasts a readership of 640,000. It sets the agenda for the Capital, serving as a barometer for London’s economy and “lets the world know what London is thinking”.

When the announcement concerning Sir Paul Stephenson was made at New Scotland Yard, Evening Standard section editor Joshua Neicho immediately called SMT Online’s editor Brian Sims for his reaction.

Is Stephenson’s philosophy what’s required?

“Having read with interest your editorials for SMT Online on the candidates for Metropolitan Police Commissioner, I was keen to get in touch to ask if you might consider commenting on the selection of Sir Paul Stephenson,” said Neicho. “Why might his conduct as Sir Ian Blair’s deputy and as Acting Commissioner make him a less-than-ideal choice for the role? Is his philosophy of policing what London needs.”

Sims’ response appeared in yesterday’s News Extra and West End Final editions of the newspaper.

“Thanks to his association with Sir Ian Blair and Damian Green’s arrest, I cannot welcome Sir Paul Stephenson's appointment as Met Commissioner,” wrote SMT Online’s editor, who’s an Honorary Fellow of The Security Institute. “Sir Paul knew all about the Green arrest and approved it. You have reported the doubts Sir Paul later privately admitted about letting Assistant Commissioner Quick go ahead with the raid, but he didn’t voice his disquiet at the time.”

Sims continued: “Does this attitude really suggest a man who can make the right decision? What if his next dilemma concerns another terrorist attack on London?”

Orde and Hogan-Howe’s excellent work

Discussing the other candidates who were in line for the £250,000 per annum post, Sims added: “Sir Paul’s rival for the job, Sir Hugh Orde, proved himself a consummate police chief when faced with the toughest of portfolios in Northern Ireland. Shortlisted candidate Bernard Hogan-Howe’s Total Policing in Liverpool, uniting both private and public sector law enforcement agencies to fight crime, had a touch of managerial genius about it and achieved impressive results.”

In conclusion, SMT Online’s editor – who, in the past three years, has won editorial awards from the BSIA, Skills for Security and the Association of Security Consultants – commented: “What the Met needs is a new broom who can divorce politics from policing for the public good. Despite Sir Paul’s promises to do it “his way”, let’s see how long it takes for him to become ensconced in Jacqui Smith’s pocket.”

The news that SMT Online’s editor’s comments had been picked up by the newspapers met with strong endorsement from the management team at UBM Live’s Protection and Management Portfolio. Group director Simon Parker enthused: “SMT Online is already setting the agenda, and is at the heart of the debate surrounding the future of policing and security in the UK. This is a fantastic feather in the cap for Brian and info4security. Great news!”

Transition from print to online

Speaking about this latest development, Brian Sims said: “The print version of Security Management Today was widely regarded as the best and most informative journal for end users in the security marketplace. No other title has won three awards for journalism in this sector. Now, having migrated to SMT Online, the immediacy and broader scope of our information offering is tangible. We’re being read and asked for comment by major newspapers. It doesn’t get much better than that. To my mind, this suggests SMT Online and info4security.com are united at the forefront of debate and setting the agenda.”

Back in 2005, Sims was interviewed live on Talk Radio in the wake of the London suicide bombings, and has often been asked to comment on national security issues by researchers at the BBC.