Overview

As the elected police and crime commissioner for South Yorkshire, Alan Billings was in a unique position to witness how the criminal justice system worked for victims of crime. When Covid struck and the country went into lockdown, he began to publish a weekly diary chronicling how the police struggled to understand fast-changing government instructions and enforce the law without losing public trust. He saw the impact of the pandemic on crime and its victims and all criminal justice agencies. As a new normality emerged, he reflected on a range of contemporary issues: the murder by a serving police officer of Sarah Everard, why police cannot admit to institutional failings, the persistence of knife crime, why stop and search matters, the growing understanding of domestic abuse, what the street protests for Palestine signify, the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign, the proliferation of shoplifting and antisocial behavior, and the role of chaplaincy. He took an interest in ""what works"" and why the public often persists in wanting ""what doesn't work."" These diary entries will be of interest to all who are curious to know about the way police and politicians interact and to have their thinking on crime, policing, and justice challenged.

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Reviews

""This diary is a remarkable record of an extraordinary time. The entries from 2020 alone--charting the first lockdown, the pressure on policing, the ethical dilemmas of emergency powers, and the human stories woven through each week--show Alan Billings at his most thoughtful and grounded. His reflections provide a valuable record of leadership under pressure, written with compassion and a profound sense of public duty."" --Abtisam Mohamed, Member of Parliament for Sheffield Central ""Alan Billings is probably a unique figure in British politics. He is certainly the only person who could have put together such a fascinating piece of social history . . . [This diary] was contemporaneous--put together in this book, it remains fresh and has not been 'curated' years later."" --Andrew Lockley, Solicitor, Chair of the Independent Monitoring Board, HMP Moorland, Doncaster ""[This diary] is essential reading alongside Baroness Hallett's excoriating report in November 2025 on Boris Johnson's government's decision-making and governance. . . . As the country was led into the unknown, Dr. Billings understood with great clarity his duty to ensure the police in his area retained the trust and confidence of a public being asked to accept the extreme curtailment of daily life in unprecedented circumstances. He charts the challenge in granular detail."" --Michael Lewis, Former Chair, South Yorkshire Police Independent Ethics Panel ""What makes this book extraordinary is not simply its record of political and policing turbulence, but the humanity threaded through every page. Dr. Billings listens--to victims, officers, faith communities, young people, professionals and the unheard--and he invites us to listen with him. . . . A vital read for anyone who cares about justice, leadership or the fragile bond between police, faith, and community."" --Derek Pamment, Lead Police Force Chaplain ""With no benefit of hindsight, Policing, Politics, and Faith is sometimes witty, often informative and always a wise contemporaneous account of the challenges and complexities of policing in modern Britain--blending the personal, the professional, and the political."" --Howard Williamson, Emeritus Professor of European Youth Policy, University of South Wales ""Alan's work and writings inspire me to hold onto the light of hope in humanity, in God, and in our police services, and to continue striving in chaplaincy."" --Ameena Blake, Muslim chaplain to South Yorkshire Police and the University of Sheffield ""One of the most difficult tasks for the mosques and the imams was conducting funerals and burials and offering comfort to the bereaved. During this difficult time, Dr. Alan Billings, as the elected commissioner, offered great help to the communities . . . His service will always be valued and remembered. His diary will be a vital learning document for forthcoming political leaders, civil servants, university students, and for many more. I fully endorse Dr Alan Billings this great work."" --Imam Sheikh Mohammad Ismail, Deputy Lieutenant, South Yorkshire ""This diary is a remarkable record of an extraordinary time. The entries from 2020 alone--charting the first lockdown, the pressure on policing, the ethical dilemmas of emergency powers, and the human stories woven through each week--show Alan Billings at his most thoughtful and grounded. His reflections provide a valuable record of leadership under pressure, written with compassion and a profound sense of public duty."" --Abtisam Mohamed, Member of Parliament for Sheffield Central ""Alan Billings is probably a unique figure in British politics. He is certainly the only person who could have put together such a fascinating piece of social history . . . [This diary] was contemporaneous--put together in this book, it remains fresh and has not been 'curated' years later."" --Andrew Lockley, Solicitor, Chair of the Independent Monitoring Board, HMP Moorland, Doncaster ""[This diary] is essential reading alongside Baroness Hallett's excoriating report in November 2025 on Boris Johnson's government's decision-making and governance. . . . As the country was led into the unknown, Dr. Billings understood with great clarity his duty to ensure the police in his area retained the trust and confidence of a public being asked to accept the extreme curtailment of daily life in unprecedented circumstances. He charts the challenge in granular detail."" --Michael Lewis, Former Chair, South Yorkshire Police Independent Ethics Panel ""What makes this book extraordinary is not simply its record of political and policing turbulence, but the humanity threaded through every page. Dr. Billings listens--to victims, officers, faith communities, young people, professionals and the unheard--and he invites us to listen with him. . . . A vital read for anyone who cares about justice, leadership or the fragile bond between police, faith, and community."" --Derek Pamment, Lead Police Force Chaplain ""With no benefit of hindsight, Policing, Politics, and Faith is sometimes witty, often informative and always a wise contemporaneous account of the challenges and complexities of policing in modern Britain--blending the personal, the professional, and the political."" --Howard Williamson, Emeritus Professor of European Youth Policy, University of South Wales ""Alan's work and writings inspire me to hold onto the light of hope in humanity, in God, and in our police services, and to continue striving in chaplaincy."" --Ameena Blake, Muslim chaplain to South Yorkshire Police and the University of Sheffield ""One of the most difficult tasks for the mosques and the imams was conducting funerals and burials and offering comfort to the bereaved. During this difficult time, Dr. Alan Billings, as the elected commissioner, offered great help to the communities . . . His service will always be valued and remembered. His diary will be a vital learning document for forthcoming political leaders, civil servants, university students, and for many more. I fully endorse Dr Alan Billings this great work."" --Imam Sheikh Mohammad Ismail, Deputy Lieutenant, South Yorkshire

Author Information

Alan Billings was the Police and Crime Commissioner for South Yorkshire between 2014 and 2024. He is an Anglican priest, a former Deputy Leader of Sheffield City Council, and a member of the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales. He is the author of several books including Lost Church: Why We Must Find It Again (2013) and The Dove, the Fig Leaf and the Sword: Why Christianity Changes Its Mind About War (2014).

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