FRONTLINE officers should be part of the new National Policing Board, so they can apply their first-hand experience of policing at the cutting edge, South Yorkshire Police Federation has urged.<\/p>\n
The board met for the first time on 31 July and aims to deliver on Prime Minister Boris Johnson\u2019s pledge to find 20,000 more officers for the front line and how best to tackle serious and violent crime, fraud and child exploitation.<\/p>\n
The first sitting was attended by senior police figures, including NPCC Chair Martin Hewitt, Association of Police and Crime Commissioners Chair Katy Bourne, National Crime Agency Director General Lynne Owens and Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Sir Stephen House.<\/p>\n
No operational officers were invited, something which South Yorkshire Police Federation Chairman Steve Kent wants addressed.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cThere needs to be a National Policing Board. It\u2019s quite right that there is, but there should be frontline officers involved.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey need to apply first-hand experience to what it\u2019s like out there. Improvements can\u2019t be suggested from afar and without a qualified opinion. The National Policing Board, without frontline cops, can only look at issues from a strategic point of view.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey can\u2019t look at it from the point of view of practicalities on the ground. If they had a small number, maybe two or three officers, selected from a couple of regions, maybe one of each rank, Sergeant, PC, Inspector, that would give them that perspective and make sure their decisions are a bit more grounded in reality.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t have a major problem with the board, but its makeup has got to be changed.\u201d<\/p>\n