Police name change aims to recruit staff

The Metropolitan Police is changing the name of its child abuse
unit because it is struggling to recruit good quality staff, it was
alleged last week, writes Amy
Taylor.

The Met has confirmed that its Child Protection Command will change
its name to the Child Abuse Investigation Command in September 2004
but denies that it is to tackle recruitment problems.

However, speaking at a conference on the Children Bill last week,
Ian Angus, Met detective inspector on the multi-agency London Child
Protection Committee, said the change had been fuelled by staffing
problems because some officers are under the impression that it is
a protection focused unit rather than investigative.

“That’s [child abuse] our core business. It’s
really an internal marketing issue – we want to change the
perception about what our core business is,” he added.

Detective chief superintendent, Peter Spindler, head of the Command
said the name change was to “better define” what it
did. “We don’t actually protect children we investigate
the crimes against them.”

He denied the command was having difficulties recruiting but said
he hoped the name change would improve its image and increase
recruitment.