This weeks #SundayThread The brilliance of Dr Phil. This week we lost a legend in psychology, Dr Phillip Zimbardo. These last days I’ve thought a lot about Dr Phil and how is work provides a roadmap for my old profession of policing.

https://twitter.com/graham_goulden/status/1847173584524845355

He spent decades researching evil. To many he was known as Dr Evil. His early research shows how susceptible we are to our environment & in certain social conditions we are all at risk of doing bad stuff.

This weeks #SundayThread If I was a police leader again how would I implement a Peer intervention approach. You know me by now and the work I do. I’ve often wondered how would I implement my work if I was still in policing. Here go’s 1. Be curious about the approach. Think how can it help my officers and staff. Link it to not just addressing poor behaviour. I deal with the outcomes of mistakes. Could this help? What about poor wellbeing. My staff are busy, too busy. Could a supportive culture help this.

This weeks #SundayThread Joining the dots. How I applied my violence reduction work to supporting workplace culture. When I joined policing I never really thought about life after. I knew I would leave policing aged 49 but for the first 20 years i never gave it a thought. My last years exposed me to a science of prevention. I watched this from @GarySlutkin1 . Here Gary taught me to look at violence as a contagion. I saw societal silence as the infection that allows harm to continue. Harm will evolve unless interrupted

This weeks #SundayThread - Bystander Interventions, myths and facts. The delivery of bystander intervention training is often misunderstood. For some it’s solely about action at time of the event. For me it’s way more than that. Some myths and facts for you. Myth - Bystander interventions need to happen immediately. They don’t. I meet many people who ask me “why am I always getting it wrong” or “getting a punch in the face?” When emotions are running high it’s never good to act immediately.

This weeks #SundayThread BELIEVE VICTIMS & focuses on the ongoing rape trial in France. The courage being shown by #giselepelicot highlights the steps that victims must take for justice. It highlights why victims of sexual violence must be believed. bbc.com/news/articles/… In the clip I hear “on est avec vous.” (We are with you) from the crowd. I wish every survivor could have this level of support. The long walk to give your evidence must be lonely, and very difficult. The support shown in film must become the norm.

Addressing levels of violence requires not just a focus on the outcome (the violence) some thoughts on areas of focus.

https://twitter.com/skynews/status/1833103423111090275

1. Where appropriate support the father’s role. Yes it’s easy to become a dad but being one is more challenging. Whilst some dads shouldn’t be present let’s help those who want to be

This weeks #SundayThread The Power of authority figures. During the Nuremberg trials the defence given by the Nazi defendants was simply “I was following orders” Many wondered how can seemingly good people do such horrific things? This past week I watched a play commissioned by @BeyondSreb and again was reminded of the power of hierarchy & its impact on human behaviour. In 1961 Stanley Milgram conducted a truly shocking experiment to see if there was any weight in the defence given at the Nuremberg trials

https://twitter.com/graham_goulden/status/1831974206617387349

This weeks #SundayThread Being an ally at this time.This past week we have all been witness to the disturbances that have taken place across England.The hatred being directed towards Muslim communities is spreading to other parts of the UK. See feelings expressed by @HumzaYousaf

https://twitter.com/humzayousaf/status/1820846585384747260

Muslim families are a big part of our communities. They are our friends, neighbours, work colleagues. They are people we care about. It’s important we understand how we can support them at this time.

This weeks #SundayThread - Harnessing the power of empathy to influence action. This past week we were bystanders to events in #Southport The killing of Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe, & Alice Dasilva Aguiar has moved the entire country. Whilst the media may move on we mustn’t Watching raw responses from members of the public I couldn’t help but notice the emotions on display. People connecting with the event & thinking that their own kids could have been victims. I’m sure many of us thought that. See that feeling you had inside you. That’s empathy.

This weeks #SundayThread - Being aware of your own stress & that of your colleagues. This week’s events at Manchester Airport for me presents another ‘event’ where policing practice is rightly scrutinised. As someone who served for 30 yrs I do know the stresses officers face The release yesterday of new
Footage doesn’t mean that this event should be simply “nothing to see here”. Force seldom looks pretty. Can it be justified? Yes Could it look better? Again yes. Two wrongs don’t make a right. If we don’t lean in we don’t learn.

This weeks #SundayThread - Gender as an inhibitor to bystander action. This past week I introduced a gendered lens into work with fire service. In many male dominated cultures we often ignore that such a lens is needed if they are to address behaviours that are causing harm In many of these settings men are totally unaware of the challenges that their gender brings to situations when they witness harmful situations. Read on if interested.

This weeks #SundayThread Addressing colleagues who cause harm. Yes those that cause harm in a workplace are wrong but we don’t stop harm by simply saying this. How we intervene and what we say IMO is vital. I want to start thread by pointing out that speaking to a victim of harm is a must. When we fail to act we suggest we don’t care. We render victims invisible. Validating an experience is within the skill set of us all. Don’t complicate it “you are not to blame” goes a long way

This weeks #SundayThread Challenges of a False Consensus - these last yrs have highlighted a range of issues in the UK. The common appearance of right wing speakers, a govt pushing an uncaring immigration policy have left many of us wondering what have we become as a country The apparent confidence of these commentators fuelled by media airtime has had an impact on many of us. We tend to over rely on what others think and assume that their views are those held by a majority. Those who speak loudest and all that.

This weeks #SundayThread - Missed opportunities. By focusing more on the bad than good I feel we miss wonderful ways to engage groups. I know I’ve talked before about this but a post I saw this week highlighted a need to keep talking about it I saw this image on a page this past week. It highlights an activity I was taught to deliver many years ago. In recent years I’ve changed how I deliver it because I realised it’s often delivered in a way that it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. Let me explain.

This weeks #SundayThread “In moments of crisis look for the helpers”. This quote is one I learned from the wonderful @MisterRogersSay With all the horrible news around us, this quote taught me to look for the good that is out there. We just need to look for it sometimes Yesterday we learned of a horrible event in Sydney in which multiple people were killed or injured by a male attacker. It was horrific to see images of fellow human beings being threatened and injured. We were helpless in the face of this horrific event.

This weeks #SundayThread A Psychology of Inaction. Important but often missing from conversations that seek to help police officers intervene in harmful situations. Most of us would like to think we would act. The reality is different. This is an issue when in groups. 1/16 This week a report in the US criticised the police response to the Uvalde school shooting in 2022. this report seems to focus on processes rather than the fact that human beings were involved. 2/16justice.gov/opa/pr/justice…

I don’t believe men like this simply go out and commit the crimes they are arrested for. I believe that their attitudes will be displayed daily in their general attitudes to women. They may also use their experience to dominate others they work with, men and women 1/12 thread

https://twitter.com/CourtNewsUK/status/1443146975776546816

Men like this get their power from those around them. When others laugh at their jokes they get the idea that their views are supported. Also when others join in the same happens. 2/12

In 2010 I was 42 when I met @jacksontkatz for the first time. I remember him taking an audience through an activity which asked women to describe what they do on nights out to avoid sexual violence. His flip chart quickly filled up with tactics that women used. This included - staying with friends, getting taxi, watching your drinks, watching what you wear, watching what you drink, holding your keys as you walk home. There were many more

Some #FridayThoughts A few years ago I was speaking to a US sports coach about performance and issues that can lead to poor performance. I remember him using the term "look under the hood". Seeing the clip below reminded me of this conversation. Let's explore this 1/5

https://twitter.com/thecoachtube/status/1327655367690563596

In my policing career I often defaulted to the "They are just bad". Looking back I took the easy route to describe behaviour. In recent years I forced myself to "look under the hood'. What Coach Meyer says is relevant. People may do bad things but I don't see them as bad 2/5

For those men who like me are appalled by the behaviour of the few here are some resources to watch. @TEDTalks by friend @jacksontkatz A go to for me. Men have a clear role in prevention of all forms of violence. Why? Because men commit most of it 1/8

https://twitter.com/Graham_Goulden/status/1252204898411778049

Now, i know it's not all men. But it's just enough to "Fuck it up for the rest of us". Another piece by Katz talking about men's role in prevention. Whilst we need to hold men accountable we also need to explore the culture that supports abuse. 2/8

Being doing a lot of reading on the issues of knife images. Thanks to @RobertCialdini for supporting this Ok. Bear with me. It is widely recognised that communications that activate social norms can be effective in producing societally beneficial conduct. 1/13

https://twitter.com/graham_goulden/status/1159478666792964096

Not so recognised are the circumstances where normative info can backfire to produce the opposite effect of what the communicator is trying to achieve. It’s understandable why people want to mobilise action against it by depicting it as regrettably frequent. 2/13