Police Federation response to Independent Police Commission report
Steve White, Vice-Chair, Police Federation of England and Wales, says:
“Policing is a vocation. Police officers sign up because they care about safety in their local communities. Whilst recent headlines have had an impact on the reputation of the service the report rightly recognises there is still a strong affection held by the public for the police. It is this relationship which must remain at the heart of any reform programme.
“Many of the findings of the report are to be broadly welcomed and reinforce much of the what the Police Federation has been highlighting for several years.
“The scale of police reform has clearly been too much, too soon and the public and government should be greatly concerned about the detrimental impact this has had on neighbourhood policing.
“It is encouraging that the commission rightly acknowledges that the public still has confidence in its police service and it is imperative that this confidence is not eroded by unsustainable cuts to officer numbers and resources.
“We are now faced with the stark reality that demands on the service have never been greater and the reforms that have been imposed on the service to date is setting us up to fail.”
Other key points from the report and Federation response:
• Police reform has been too much, too fast.
• We agree that neighbourhood policing is fundamental to public confidence and therefore should be effectively resourced to ensure its success.
• Police officers do much more than just fight crime.
• The pressure on officers to meet additional expectations is vast. Police officers often have to step in to support the shortfall in other services, such as mental health care and the provision of make-shift ambulances.
• It is essential for police officers to have the right technology to do the job.
• Notably the report has found that there is still public confidence in the police but our concern remains that this is being eroded as officers are seen to merely ‘fight crime’.
• The review rightly acknowledges that the nature of crime is changing and is cognisant of the different challenges and added pressure that brings.
• We agree that there needs to be a completely independent body with the necessary skills and resources to undertake completely autonomous investigations.
• The review also recognises the inefficiencies of existing purchasing processes and reinforces our call for a national procurement strategy for equipment and IT.
• We have strong concerns regarding the chartered officer proposal. Our certificate is our warrant as independent officers of the Crown. Any chartered status or license to practice could erode this independence and impartiality which is the cornerstone of British policing and is renowned world-wide.
• In terms of the recommendation that the 43 force structure is ineffective – with the crippling cuts that the series is experiencing – forces are already having to go to their neighbours to assist with service delivery – this is a clear indication that our current structure needs to be examined.
