POLICE officers need \u201cclear, simple, plain English\u201d guidelines as the nation prepares to unlock from Covid restrictions, South Yorkshire Police Federation has said.<\/p>\n
Hardworking officers who have been at the front line of policing the lockdown are at risk of coming under fire because of confusion inconsistent rules and guidelines, Steve Kent, Federation Chair, said.<\/p>\n
Steve was talking after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his roadmap out of Lockdown on Monday 22 February.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cAll our officers are looking forward to normality as much as members of the public are. They\u2019ve been at the front line of this throughout this crisis and they\u2019re wanting that break.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure they\u2019re wanting to be able to go abroad when they can and put these things behind them and move forward. So obviously there\u2019s an air of positivity about it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn terms of the rules, what we would ask is that the Government at every stage, in terms of that, make it absolutely crystal clear to the public in plain and simple language as to what the rules are because otherwise officers are at a massive risk – if we don\u2019t get it right we\u2019ll get criticised.<\/p>\n
\u201cPolice officers don\u2019t want to be exposed to negative media stuff. We just want clear, plain English, simple guidelines as we go through this hopeful easing of restrictions.\u201d<\/p>\n
New research published by Police Federation of England and Wales this month found that only 1 in 10 police officers in England and Wales thought the police powers previously introduced to manage the COVID-19 crisis were clear.<\/p>\n
The Demand, Capacity and Welfare survey also found only 24 per cent of respondents felt the \u2018Four E\u2019s\u2019 (Engage, Explain, Encourage and Enforce) approach was effective when enforcing the new police powers.<\/p>\n