Author Archives: InspGuilfoyle

About InspGuilfoyle

I am a serving Police Inspector and systems thinker. I am passionate about doing the right thing in policing. I dislike numerical targets and unnecessary bureaucracy.

Where Are The Stick People?

Posted on July 29, 2016 by InspGuilfoyle

It’s been quite a few months since I last published a blog post and I’m often asked what’s happened to Stick Child and his friends. Well, they’re still about, but I have to admit that having written over 100 blog … Continue reading →

Posted in Systems thinking | 2 Comments

The Professionals

Posted on November 22, 2015 by InspGuilfoyle

Imagine a police force that handed out firearms to its officers without training them. Or one that chose to opt out of established good practice for investigating serious crime. Or one that refused to work with partner agencies because it … Continue reading →

Posted in Systems thinking | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Chain Reaction

Posted on October 14, 2015 by InspGuilfoyle

No, nothing to do with an old Diana Ross track, but the title of a presentation I gave at the UK’s first ever TEDx policing event in Leeds yesterday – #OldBillRebuilt, ably organised by Gareth Stubbs. Hopefully, the footage will be … Continue reading →

Posted in Systems thinking | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Freeze Frame

Posted on September 11, 2015 by InspGuilfoyle

Watching the TV programme ‘The Force’ last night (which follows the work of officers from Greater Manchester Police), I thought of yet another analogy to help explain why binary comparisons are rubbish. (Yes, I know I go on about this, … Continue reading →

Posted in Systems thinking | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Short Circuit

Posted on May 10, 2015 by InspGuilfoyle

This is Stick Boss. Stick Boss is basically a good guy who cares about his organisation and wants the best for people. Unfortunately, he has a problem with his brain. This means that just as he’s on the cusp of … Continue reading →

Posted in Systems thinking | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Maths Class

Posted on May 4, 2015 by InspGuilfoyle

Here’s Stick Teacher. Today Stick Teacher is going to run through a few sums with the Stick Children. Adults might find his case studies useful too. Stick Teacher is going to demonstrate how to save money whilst providing a better service – what’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Systems thinking | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Detox

Posted on April 25, 2015 by InspGuilfoyle

Whilst flicking through TV channels recently, I came across a consumer advice programme, where the reporter was researching the effectiveness of self-administered ‘detox’ products. The TV crew followed her for three days as she consumed nothing but ‘specially formulated’ fruit … Continue reading →

Posted in Systems thinking | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Comfort Blanket

Posted on April 17, 2015 by InspGuilfoyle

When Stick Child was a bit younger, he had a little comfort blanket. Here he is with it, dreaming about smashing up some arbitrary numerical targets. (That’s supposed to be the moon in the window by the way – not a … Continue reading →

Posted in Systems thinking | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Wrong Conversation

Posted on March 28, 2015 by InspGuilfoyle

Stick Child has been getting increasingly irritated by the slack methods some adults use to present information about really important stuff, such as how long it takes for patients to be seen in Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments. Many a … Continue reading →

Posted in Systems thinking | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Avoidable Harm

Posted on December 6, 2014 by InspGuilfoyle

I recently had a conversation on Twitter about a national campaign called ‘Sign up to Safety’, which aims to reduce avoidable harm in the NHS. Now, avoidable harm is clearly something worth tackling. The sticking point for me was that … Continue reading →

Posted in Systems thinking | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments