The Police Federation has warned a lack of genuine investment in policing is putting the public at risk and urged the Government to step up to help ease the growing pressure on forces.
National Federation chair John Apter said low officer numbers combined with the challenges of policing the coronavirus pandemic had made the current situation intolerable for the police and urged ministers to take immediate action.
His comments were backed by Staffordshire branch chair Phil Jones who said the demands on officers and staff were becoming too great.
Phil explained: “Policing has been under pressure for several years now and the extraordinary demands of the coronavirus pandemic have brought the challenges our members face every day into sharp focus.
“The pressure the police are under has intensified while officer numbers have fallen, pay has been frozen and assaults, abuse and unfair criticism have all risen.
“Our members are dedicated, professional and resilient but they are only human and the fact of the matter is they can only do so much with the limited resources at their disposal.
“And when the service they work so hard to deliver to their communities suffers through no fault of their own, it is the officers and staff who have to face the backlash and that position is becoming impossible.
“We are calling on the Government to take responsibility and get right behind the police serviceto ensure our officers can do their difficult jobs to the very best of their abilities.”
The national chair has said that the finger of blame always leads towards policing even before the facts are known.
“The harsh reality is, despite the almost daily information being put out by Government and other agencies about the increase of police officer numbers, that we are still nowhere near where we need to be to react to everything the way the public would expect and the way that we should be able to. This is an inconvenient truth for some,” John explained.
“Compared to a decade ago, we have more than 10,000 fewer officers and thousands fewer police staff, many who perform critical roles often unseen by the public. At the same time as police numbers remain significantly reduced, the population across England and Wales has increased by more than four million. This has a consequence.
“Low numbers and a global pandemic mean that there is more pressure. Pressure on frontline officers, response policing, detectives and pressure on back office functions including departments like firearms licensing. The pressure is intolerable and leads to delays that are unavoidable despite our best efforts.
“This is the reality that policing is facing, while at the same time being held accountable for matters that sit firmly with other agencies. Policing is often the service of last resort and we can’t always say no, we can’t close our doors at 5pm on a Friday afternoon.
“We need to increase our numbers, officers and staff, above what is promised by the Government or we will continuously be chasing our tail, never being able to be fully proactive in dealing with the pressures we face. The lack of genuine investment in policing is putting the public at risk and that is something that no society should ever accept.
“My colleagues, officers and staff, are committed to doing everything that we can to keep the public safe, but we need the help to do this.”
