THE idea that police officers should face random spot checks on their phones is \u201cdisproportionate\u201d, the Chair of South Yorkshire Police Federation has said.<\/p>\n
In an interview in The Times, Sir Tom Winsor, Her Majesty\u2019s Chief Inspector of Constabulary, suggested that police officers should face random spot checks on their phones in the same way that they undergo random drug tests.<\/p>\n
South Yorkshire Police Federation Chair Steve Kent said: \u201cThat\u2019s probably the most disproportionate suggestion I\u2019ve ever heard.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just an absolute farce to suggest that people who are not suspected of any offence should have their phone spot-checked. There are already systems in place, and if an officer is suspected of a criminal offence, their phone can be seized and examined under those circumstances.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo suggest that people should have their phones examined for no reason as a spot-check is totally unacceptable and it would be a red line for a lot of officers, who would leave the organisation if this kind of thing came out.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere have been all sorts of concerns raised by officers, for instance in the LGBTQ+ scenario where people may have personal preferences within their life that they want to keep private, and doing nothing wrong in doing so.\u201d<\/p>\n
Steve requested an apology from Sir Tom Winsor, saying: \u201cI know our force does not support this approach, I\u2019ve been reassured on that. But I actually think there should be an apology from Sir Winsor, because it buys into the rhetoric that all officers have something to hide, and that\u2019s totally unacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n