A new pilot scheme that gives officers the power to charge thieves, drug dealers and shoplifters within three hours is positive, the Chair of South Yorkshire Police Federation has said, but he is sceptical that policing systems will allow it to happen so quickly.<\/p>\n
The move, a significant increase in the powers of the police, will be piloted by \u2018high performing\u2019 forces before any expansion to all 43 forces in England and Wales.<\/p>\n
South Yorkshire Police Federation Chair Steve Kent said: \u201cThree hours is still a long time, when we\u2019re talking about thieves. It\u2019s good that this is being talked about. But the elephant in the room is that police systems don\u2019t allow for things to happen quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not saying that we return to the days where you quickly scribble something down on a notepad and that person sits in front of the court. We\u2019re more sophisticated than that now. But police systems are not necessarily fit for purpose.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you sat a member of the public down and showed them the hurdles you jump to get a file through, I think they\u2019d be very surprised as to the complexity of what you have to do.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are standards that the CPS and other organisations have that mean that we are hampered into spending hours and hours doing things, when all the officer should need to do is provide the evidence in a proper format, summarise the file, submit, done.\u201d<\/p>\n