Police Demand Is Unrelenting… What Can The Service Say ‘No’ To…?

POLICE officers are being taken advantage of because they are the only emergency service that cannot say ‘no’ to jobs, South Yorkshire Police Federation has said.

Steve Kent, Federation Chair, was speaking after a report was published by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate for Fire and Rescue Services last month.

‘State of Policing: The Annual Assessment of Policing in England and Wales’, found that major problems persist in policing.

HMICFRS Chief Inspector Sir Thomas Winsor, who left the post at the end of last month, found that total demand and public expectations cannot be met without sufficient funding and the public must decide how much threat, harm and risk they are prepared to tolerate.

Steve said: “I totally agree with, and it’s not very often I can say that, with what Tom Winsor said. The police are completely and very often left to deal with shortfall, for which I have sympathy, over other public services.

“The report has highlighted a really important thing. There now needs to be a commitment by Government to actually do something about it.’

Steve recommended new legal requirements be put on other services to ensure they act in certain scenarios.

He said: “Something’s got to come from this and it’s got to be acted on rather than just talked about. We know we are in a position where the police can’t say “no”, and they should be saying “no”

“Because unless all services have the same legal duty automatically, then I will always fall to the police. Police officers can be ordered to work whenever, and the government takes advantage of that, because they know, ultimately, that police officers can’t say “no”.

The report found: “The police service can’t meet 100 percent of public expectations for, say, 70 percent of their efficient cost. The police can only be reasonably expected to reach their highest practicable level of efficiency with the money they are given. Even when – more probably if – they achieve their highest practicable level of efficiency, something must give. If resources are not to be increased, there must be a reduction in the demand that the police  will be required or expected to meet, or in the quality of the service provided.”

To see the report in full, go to: https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/publications/state-of-policing-the-annual-assessment-of-policing-in-england-and-wales-2021/