{"id":194570,"date":"2021-03-29T15:36:30","date_gmt":"2021-03-29T15:36:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sypfcopperconnection.co.uk\/?p=194570"},"modified":"2021-03-29T15:36:30","modified_gmt":"2021-03-29T15:36:30","slug":"federation-pleased-to-see-chiefs-sticking-up-for-their-officers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sypfcopperconnection.co.uk\/?p=194570","title":{"rendered":"Federation pleased to see Chiefs ‘sticking up’ for their officers"},"content":{"rendered":"

POLICE Chiefs are ‘sticking up’ for their officers, and it’s good to see at what is a difficult time for police offiers, says South Yorkshire Police Federation.<\/p>\n

The Metropolitan Police’s Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball backed her officers for their handling of the Sarah Everard vigil in London despite widespread flak from the media and senior politicians.<\/p>\n

She said they had been put in a position where\u00a0“where enforcement action was necessary<\/a>” because of “the overriding need to protect people’s safety.”<\/p>\n

“Hundreds of people were packed tightly together, posing a very real risk of easily transmitting Covid-19,” she said.<\/p>\n

“Police must act for people’s safety; this is the only responsible thing to do. The pandemic is not over, and gatherings of people from right across London and beyond are still not safe.”<\/p>\n

Her colleague, Deputy Commissioner Sir Stephen House, also refused to apologise for his officers, saying\u00a0they were “doing their duty as they saw it” to enforce COVID legislation at the event.<\/p>\n

He said some officers had been on the receiving end of “abuse and violence” and had plastic bottles thrown at them.<\/p>\n

They’re the sort of statements appreciated by officers Steve Kent, South Yorkshire Police Federation Chair said.<\/p>\n

“Our Deputy Chief Constable frequently defends the actions of our\u00a0officers, as does the Chief and the senior leadership team,” he said.<\/p>\n

“Sometimes it doesn’t gather traction with\u00a0the press, and so their statements sometimes go unreported.<\/p>\n

“In our force, they stick up\u00a0for officers in these positions, and they always have done,<\/p>\n

“On this occasion, the statements [from the Met]\u00a0were\u00a0really welcome because there has to be that counter-balance.<\/p>\n

“Chief\u00a0officers across the country have got unbelievable\u00a0responsibilities, but they also have a responsibility\u00a0to the force and the officers who go out there and do as they order them to\u00a0do.<\/p>\n

“It’s vital they provide that protection for officers.”<\/p>\n