‘We must keep up pressure against compulsory severance’

THE pressure must be kept up against the idea of introducing police officer compulsory severance, the Chairman of South Yorkshire Police Federation has said.

Chief Constables are not seeking to introduce compulsory severance for police officers at this time.

Top cops from across the UK discussed the idea of “reluctantly” asking Home Secretary Theresa May to introduce the power to make police officers redundant.

But the idea was rejected – for now.

Neil Bowles (pictured), Chairman of South Yorkshire Police Federation, said: “I’m glad to see that a decision wasn’t made before it was even, possibly, necessary.

“But of course, it’s not the end of the story and they might come back to it. I heard that the Metropolitan Commissioner, Sir Bernard, has actually gone separately to the Home Secretary asking for it. So there may be some fraction within the ranks for the Chief Council.”

Mr Bowles said it was important to keep the “pressure up in the media, with politicians, with the Home Secretary, and it must need primary legislation to go through Parliament, so if it does raise its head again we’ll have to go all out to lobby against it”.

Previously, Mr Bowles said the power to make police officers redundant would “interfere with the independent Office of Constable”.

He said the power would see police officers “looking over their back and not doing their job properly” and feared that police officers could be “influenced about how to use their powers”.

“We can’t have a state where if someone turns around to an Inspector and says, ‘No I’m not going to arrest that person, I haven’t got the power to do so’, for that to be looked badly on that officer,” said Mr Bowles.

“We take on oath, or an attestation that we will police without fear or favour,” he added. “The introduction of possible redundancies would interfere with that.”

He said if police officers are to be made redundant, the Federation would push for full industrial rights.

“If we’re going to be treated like an employee then we should have all employee rights,” he said.