GOVERNMENT cuts to policing have \u201cbroken\u201d South Yorkshire Police, the Chair of the local Federation has said.<\/p>\n
Officers are unable to book time off work or take their rest day entitlements due to under-resourcing at the force.<\/p>\n
The South Yorkshire Police Federation office is \u201cconstantly\u201d receiving reports of officers unable to book annual leave.<\/p>\n
Officers are also having their rest days cancelled because of the force\u2019s inability to properly resource even basic policing duties.<\/p>\n
Chair Zuleika Payne (pictured) said: \u201cIt doesn\u2019t seem five minutes ago I was looking at the documentation which illustrated that South Yorkshire as a force had to make a further \u00a31.3 million saving, and that was at the beginning of the year. Here we are again, having been told that on top of the savings we\u2019ve got to find, there\u2019s a further \u00a31.4 million. And that comes as a cost.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Government has told forces to find the cash for the 1% bonus. So it feels as though Government is saying, \u2018Well which do you want? Do you want more in your payslip, or do you want more police officer colleagues alongside you?\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re forcing us between a rock and a hard place. How do we maintain the standard of working that the public deserve, when all the powers that be are doing is cutting and cutting and taking more from us?<\/p>\n
\u201cThere comes a breaking point, and we\u2019re there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Police officers are suffering as a result and 97% of federated ranks at the force reported poor morale in the most recent survey.<\/p>\n
Zuleika added: \u201cWe are broken. I\u2019m constantly receiving emails from officers who can\u2019t secure annual leave because of officer numbers. They\u2019re having their rest days cancelled to work and perform duties. Not necessarily every time for specialist operations such as football matches or demonstrations, but just to maintain operational policing. Rather than attract monetary recompense, these cancelled rest days attract a day in lieu which is then difficult to secure because we simply don\u2019t have enough staff.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWorking in this way is not sustainable, how do you then find the capacity to use that accrued day when you actually are acquiring it and accumulating them because you\u2019re backfilling due to a staff shortage? It becomes a vicious cycle.\u201d<\/p>\n