Statement from PFEW National Chair after £30 million of surge funding announced
Police Federation of England and Wales
John Apter, National Chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, has reacted to the announcement that £60m of Government surge funding will include £30 million for police forces.
He said: “In this time of crisis when there is so much pressure on policing, any genuine new money which helps ease that pressure can only be a positive thing.
“My question is, what is expected in return? Policing is over-stretched, and colleagues are already doing all they can during this pandemic. Any suggestion that this extra money would take away the discretion which permits police officers to do their jobs to the best of their ability would be counterproductive and damaging. Alongside this announcement must be an effective public information campaign. This must make it crystal clear what is expected of the public.
“Police officers are already targeting those who wilfully breach COVID-19 regulations and this will continue. The new money will assist policing, but what we really need are more officers and a better communication strategy from the Government.”
