Trust and transparency can stop bullies

AS A former infantry battalion commander, I have come to the conclusion that most groups of people, especially if they are male – be they schoolchildren, businessmen or soldiers – have a bullying element. Left unchecked, an insidious escalation of violence is the result; what starts innocently can end in broken bones, limb dislocation or worse.

Perhaps we should not be so surprised to learn what happened to the unfortunate Baha Mousa.

Fifty years ago we might not have known about Mr Mousa being kicked to death by British squaddies many thousands of miles away. But now, thanks to global communications, an alert media and the mobile phone camera, we soon get to hear about any such abuse.

For example, after the US military took over Baghdad’s notorious Abu Ghraib prison, the pornographic actions and photographs taken by privates and junior NCOs against Iraqi prisoners were not long in surfacing, eventually threatening the entire chain of command all the way to the White House.

Media images and headlines now tend to set the rules and standards. Worrying as the Mousa case is, the likelihood of recurrence is probably reducing, if only because offending individuals know they are much more likely to be caught. Nevertheless, we onlookers will still intermittently have to wriggle in shame, as other cases come to light.

The key is trust and transparency which permits upwards, as well as downwards, communication in any sub-unit.

Not for one minute do I believe the commanding officer knew anything about what terrible violence was taking place in his guard room – or that he covered it up. But he should have known, and the lesson is that COs somehow have to be everywhere at all moments of the day and night.

The intrinsic darker side of human beings must always be catered for, where necessary by turning up at unexpected times and locations – and listening with their eyes!