POLICE officers in South Yorkshire need supporting, rather than the constant criticising and lambasting they receive from the HMIC.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the message from Zuleika Payne, Chair of South Yorkshire Police Federation, who was reacting after HM Inspectorate of Constabulary judged that the force \u201crequires improvement\u201d in how legitimately it keeps people safe and reduces crime, a rating described as \u201cdisappointing\u201d by HMIC.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t be at all surprised however it\u2019s really disheartening because officers work so hard,\u201d said Zuleika. \u201cWe have lost 1,100 officers which is the equivalent to all of the officers in Doncaster and Rotherham.<\/p>\n
\u201cOfficers still have to police the same population size, and in fact that number is increasing. We still have to cover the same geographical area but with 1,100 fewer officers. Officers are out there, 24\/7 in the face of all this adversity, still trying to get on with the job and then we receive a report that says, \u2018Well actually there\u2019s room for improvement\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re never afraid to reassess and revisit what we\u2019ve done, we\u2019re no strangers to reflective practice and where there\u2019s room for improvement we always embrace that. We\u2019re very honest with ourselves. But it does impact on morale when you consider how hard frontline officers are working.\u201d<\/p>\n
The HMIC report also said the force \u201cneeds to improve of wellbeing issues\u201d.<\/p>\n
Zuleika responded: \u201cThere is always room for improvement but what we have noticed in South Yorkshire is more work being done around health and wellbeing and there are senior officers leading on this which is really important because it has got to come from the top down.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s reassuring to see that management are starting to embrace this, but there\u2019s always room for improvement and there\u2019s always more that can be done. It\u2019s equally important that people speak out as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zuleika concluded: \u201cIt does feel like the negative press within South Yorkshire is disproportionate because what we are not doing is acknowledging that there\u2019s a huge amount of talent and dedication in the organisation. The good work is grossly under reported and that is very misleading.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe positive news never makes it into the media, never makes it into the local news \u2013 and again that impacts upon morale.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery organisation can always strive to improve, there\u2019s always more that could be done better, but it\u2019s about supporting, nurturing and developing rather than constant carping criticism and lambasting.\u201d<\/p>\n