In her Christmas message yesterday, Her Majesty claimed that it has been a year of "great celebration". While that has been true in many areas, there are a few exceptions - not least in the police service, where there have been precious few tidings of comfort and joy this season. Whether it was the Leveson report, the latest revelations over the Hillsborough disaster, or the Andrew Mitchell fiasco, the police have all too often been accused of having protected their own backs at the cost of performing their wider duty.