POLICING is \u2018in crisis\u2019 and the \u2018right people\u2019 need to listen, says Police Federation Chair Zuleika Payne.<\/p>\n
She believes the number of police officers in South Yorkshire won\u2019t be increasing anytime soon and that it\u2019s impacting not just the communities Federation members serve, but their own health and welfare.<\/p>\n
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\u201cOfficer welfare is obviously very important,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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\u201cAnd in relation to demand and capability, there will come a point where we will have to decide what we can deal and can\u2019t deal with.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe are in crisis and the right people in Government need to listen,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
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Police welfare is being put in the spotlight by the Police Federation of England and Wales which is devoting specialist sessions at conferences to the issues and is running a series of awareness programmes.<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s Welfare Support Programme, run in conjunction with The Police Firearms Officers\u2019 Association (PFOA) reports that more officers are struggling to cope with the demands placed on them.<\/p>\n
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More than 3,000 officers engaged with the programme in the last year alone.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWhat we need is Government to make a serious investment in policing otherwise the situation is not going to improve, added Zuleika.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe will continue to rob Peter to pay Paul, and that is not a long-term, effective, sustainable solution for policing or for officers\u2019 health and wellbeing.\u201d<\/p>\n