Post-incident Protocols Are Vital

Post-incident protocols are vital to prevent “aggressive practice” by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, South Yorkshire Police Federation said.

Federation Chair Steve Kent said it helped officers avoid getting into hot water for not knowing their rights.

The Federation holds its PIP meetings in-house so officers feel comfortable and less like they are being interrogated for wrongdoing.

Steve said the process was “vitally important” for the protection of officers going about their job in the right way.

He said: “It’s just something that is so important for officers who find themselves in that horrendous situation where someone’s been seriously injured or something’s happened.

“It just provides them with the protection that they need. It’s a no-brainer for me.

“Let’s be frank, people pay their subs for that service. It’s about keeping officers in the job, keeping officers’ liberty.”

Steve’s comments came after the second consecutive PIP seminar drew a full-house of people eager to engage with the latest developments.

The Chair said support with PIP was the most crucial service the Federation could provide.

He added: “The number one thing I think people would expect is that when they find themselves in trouble, they’ve got somebody there to help them and advise them.

“It’s so massively important [having] up-to-date training and making sure you’ve got everything at your fingertip to look after the officers.

“We’ve got good relationships with several legal providers and they’re always on hand to help us out, as and when we need that, so it’s great.”