The secretary of Staffordshire Police Federation says police officers’ time should be concentrated on tackling crime and not being a social service.
He said too much time and resources were being spent dealing with non-policing issues because of pressures on mental health and care services, and called for investment across the public sector to allow officers “to do their job”.
Glyn was speaking after the publication of the Strategic Review of Policing, which highlighted the amount of resources directed to non-policing issues because of pressures on mental health and care services.
The review found that police devote more than three million investigation hours per year to missing persons, the equivalent of 1,562 full-time police officers per year or 36 officers per force. The total annual cost of these investigations is estimated to be between £394m and £509m.
Glyn said: “These figures won’t come as a shock to our members. Policing is massively overstretched. We’re the service of last resort in so many instances, and our members can’t say no.
“But we’re not trained and equipped to deal with people in a mental health crisis. Is being called to a family breakdown the most appropriate use of our time and resources?
“It means that we’re not concentrating on fighting crime, which is what the public want us to be doing. We need investment in the public sector right across the board – including in policing – so that we can do our jobs.”
The Strategic Review of Policing, chaired by Sir Michael Barber and carried out by the Police Foundation think tank, contains 56 recommendations urging radical reform to police culture, skills and training and organisational structure.
These include:
- Creation of a new Crime Prevention Agency
- Expansion of the role of the National Crime Agency so it in effect becomes a new FBI for the UK
- Introduction of a new licence to practise for all police officers that is renewed every five years and subject to strict conditions
- Merger of back office functions across the 43 forces that would save hundreds of millions of pounds
- Investment in frontline policing, training and technology to modernise the service from top to bottom.
Glyn described the proposal for a licence to practise was described as “a barrier to recruitment and retention”.
“We’re in the middle of a drive to recruit new officers, but we also need to retain our experienced ones to pass on their knowledge and skills and help fill the brain drain caused by austerity,” he said.
“But this is another barrier to recruitment and retention. We already have processes in place to hold officers to account – this proposal is unnecessary and counterproductive.”
Launching the review’s final report, Sir Michael said: “There is a crisis of confidence in policing in this country which is corroding public trust.
“The reasons are deep rooted and complex – some cultural and others systemic. However taken together, unless there is urgent change, they will end up destroying the principle of policing by consent that has been at the heart of British policing for decades.
“Policing in this country is at a crossroads and it cannot stand still whilst the world changes so quickly around it. Now is the moment to move forward quickly on the path of reform. The warning signs if we do nothing are flashing red and we ignore them at our peril.
“This report represents the most comprehensive review of policing for a generation and sets out an agenda for fundamental change. It is the product of over two years of work and engagement with the police and a range of different stakeholders.
“Everyone recognises the need to shift the odds, which too often are stacked in favour of the criminal.
“We need a modern police service fit for the future which is at the cutting edge of technology and training. And we need it urgently.
“I believe the will is there and that the talented police officers who work tirelessly for the public would be the strongest champions of change.”
