Remembrance Sunday is a significant day in the United Kingdom and throughout the Commonwealth. It marks the day World War One ended, at 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. Over the last 4 years the United Kingdom has marked significant events of World War One through the WW100 commemorative programme. This initiative has connected families and communities to the ultimate sacrifice made by millions of families over 100 years ago. As we move beyond the 100 year commemoration, the legacy of the Poppy Appeal still resonates throughout the World. Many of our families have been affected by the horrors of war and conflict, even today we have family, friends or colleagues who are affected by the physical and mental stress caused by Armed Conflict – this period of Remembrance also gives us the opportunity to remember our generation’s sacrifice and reflect on ways to mitigate the dire consequences of conflict and recognise the unnecessary human suffering that occurs as a result of not finding solutions to problems without confrontation.

Today, over 100 years after World War One, the World doesn’t appear to be a more peaceful place. The totality of war is totally devastating, we must not forget that extremism, nationalism, sectarianism and entrenchment quickly become a one way street that leads to conflict and human suffering. We must communicate clearly, listen deeply and be prepared to see issues from another perspective. We must do everything within our power never to drift towards the totality of war. This is the lesson that we learn from our forefathers of 100 years ago.

At this time of year people wear a Poppy and conduct acts of Remembrance keep the memory of the ultimate sacrifice paid by our forebears alive. We Will Remember Them.

Published 8 November 2019

Colleagues, policing is vital. And as we consider further and develop our understanding of peacebuilding, it’s more important than ever, as often police in that context are more effective than traditional reliance on troops.

Jean-Pierre Lacroix talked about the state legal functions of UNAMID in his introductory remarks in Sudan and in that context, I think as we look at peacekeeping to peace building in Sudan, a policing component will be vital in the follow-on mission; if you have any comments on that, it would be good to hear them.

If United Nations policing is to remain effective, then we – whether members of the council, police-contributing countries or police commanders need to listen to the experiences of police officers on the ground and consider how reform can make a practical difference. Our German colleague talked about UN policing not yet being the full potential it could have and I agree with that. We, of course, as the UK are strong supporters of UNSCR 2185 and 2382 and of the external review that took place in 2016 of the functions, structure and capacity of the UN police division, although more needs to be done on the outstanding recommendations of that review. And we believe the recent report on policing by the Secretary-General provides an opportunity to take stock of the various strands of reform as a clear plan for the future.

There are two areas I want to quickly highlight. Firstly, the UK wants to see the full integration of policing advice into mission planning processes, ensuring that policing expertise is included in decision making throughout the life of the mission. That means, in simple terms, police experts need to be at the table and they need to be listened to and that needs to be underpinned by a strong analytical capability.

Second, we want to see UN missions continue to support the development of law enforcement in host states – we’ve heard from some of our commanders today about that – and to do this based on an assessment of host state needs and capacity. We believe that to maximise impact, the police need to have the right specialists with the right disciplines in the right places. So we encourage police division to improve efficiency in recruitment and subsequent deployment. Recruitment can be slow and bureaucratic. It needs to be based on skills, capabilities and expertise. It needs to be transparent, fair and open and it needs to differentiate between former police units and individual police officers or specialised teams. And of course, police deploying into missions need to be trained to the highest standards so we want to see the strategic guidance framework setting up the doctrine for policing to be finalised urgently, including all guidance manuals.

Let me conclude my remarks by just noting I was struck by what Police Commander Yacouba had to say from MINUSMA about the relationship with the population, the importance of human rights, the importance of trust. To succeed in their mission, clearly officers need to be able to police locally to understand communities. A police officer, by definition, is an officer of the place where he or she serves. And that trust, I believe, is more readily formed if police officers reflect the diversity of the world they are sent to protect. Like our colleague from Peru, I’d be interested in Madame Fitah-Kona’s views on best practice in this question of community policing and establishing trust. And as others have said, and echoing what the commander of UNISFA had to say, Ms Gahonzire, I think we would like to see action against the obstacles which prevent women from entering UN police.

I have one specific question, which is simply to ask Monsieur Abdounasir, the commissioner from MONUSCO, on what the most pressing challenges for UN police are in the context of the recent strategic review of 24 September and how you intend to meet.

Nine out of ten users of an online terrorism awareness course, developed by Counter Terrorism Policing and High Street giant Marks and Spencer, would recommend the package to a colleague. A survey of 20,000 course participants also found that nine out of ten said the interactive nature of the programme enhanced their learning.

More than 5000 companies have signed up to use ACT Awareness eLearning since its launch 18 months ago, with their staff collectively completing over 1.6 million of the modules which make up the course.

Shopping centres, football clubs, entertainment venues, education and faith institutions have all been helping to keep the public safe by using the innovative online training.

Specialist officers worked with M&S to develop the eLearning product, which was then made available to all companies operating in busy towns and cities.

The training covers how to spot the signs of suspicious behaviour and what to do if an attack should take place. The course takes around 45 minutes and is divided into short sections so it can be fitted in around business needs.

ACT Awareness eLearning is available to use free of charge.

Senior national Coordinator for Protective Security, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Lucy D’Orsi, says:

All staff working in crowded places – not just those who have a security role – can follow the course and be in a stronger position to help protect themselves, colleagues and the public.

We are grateful to Marks and Spencer, who entered into this collaboration with us. This is a perfect example of what can be achieved if we work in close partnership with the business community.

John Frost, Head of Business Continuity from Marks and Spencer who helped lead the project, added:

The survey findings have been overwhelmingly positive and will help us shape future modules to keep us up-to-date with any emerging threats.

I would encourage businesses large and small to register and take part.

More information on ACT Awareness eLearning and details on how to start the course, which has been produced by eLearning specialists Highfield.

The Planning Inspectorate always aims to issue decisions and recommendations promptly. However, in the run-up to the General Election we are concerned to ensure that decisions or recommendations relating to proposals which have raised sensitivities or interest in an area cannot be deemed to have influenced the election in any constituency or, more broadly, across the country, or have been used to electoral advantage by any interested body.

Whether a decision or recommendation should be held back until the election results have been announced is a judgement taken by senior managers in the Planning Inspectorate on the circumstances of the case. We shall of course ensure that any such delayed decisions or recommendations are issued promptly after the election.

National Infrastructure Casework

As National Infrastructure Examinations are required to comply with a statutory time limit, once the Preliminary Meeting has been notified and the Examination Timetable has been set the examination is expected to run to the published timetable.

Local Plans

All scheduled local plan examinations and hearing sessions will continue during the pre-election period and new examinations will also begin.

However, in order to avoid making announcements that could be politically sensitive, the Planning Inspectorate will not be issuing any letters regarding the soundness or legal compliance of local plans, or final reports (including for fact check), until after the election. The fact check report is the version of the report the Planning Inspectorate sends to the LPA to check for factual errors or inconsistencies. The final report is issued after this process has been completed.

All of the above has been agreed in consultation with MHCLG as our sponsor department.