Policing in crisis: ‘Government must act’

4 July 2022

Hertfordshire Police Federation chair Luke Mitchell has warned the police service has reached crisis point after three more forces were put under special measures.

Luke said years of underfunding has created a perfect storm that had brought policing to its knees and called on the Government to act immediately.

He said: “We are no longer staring down the barrel of a crisis - we are in crisis already and urgent action is needed.

“We have been heading for disaster for so long but when we tried to raise the alarm we were ignored and now we see forces going into special measures because the pressure they are under has just become too great.

“I would be very surprised if more forces are not put in special measures in the coming months because this is a national catastrophe and we are all in the same boat.

“But the bigger picture involves the Government which really needs to take a look at the disaster that is happening in policing. 

“The Government's number one responsibility is keeping the citizens of this country safe and at the moment I think there is a real danger that they could fail to meet that commitment.”

Three additional forces have now been put under special measures by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), bringing the total to a record number of six.

The Metropolitan Police Service was placed into special measures on Tuesday 28 June, the first time since it was established in 1829. Other forces placed under special measures are Cleveland, Gloucestershire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire and Wiltshire.

Police Federation national chair Steve Hartshorn said: “If this is not a sign that the Government needs to act then I don’t know what is.

“The responsibility of any Government is the safety and security of the public but how can it fulfil its obligations on that front when almost one in seven of the forces of England and Wales has been judged by the police inspectorate as requiring help to improve performance?

“It seemed inevitable that we were going to reach a situation where forces were going to be put into special measures, they have been facing huge challenges set against a decade of austerity during which we saw officer numbers plummet at a time when demand was soaring.

“Policing is the service of first and last resort, the service that cannot say no, but forces have been stretched to breaking point and that has had a detrimental impact not just on the service we have been able to provide but also on the officers themselves.

“Morale is at an all-time low with a police pay freeze, at a time when other sectors received a pay rise, this was particularly hard for officers to stomach. Officers have seen a 20 per cent real terms pay cut and the cost of living crisis has created a situation where some officers are being issued with food vouchers and others are struggling to afford to put fuel in their cars.

“All officers want is fair pay; pay that recognises their unique place in society holding the front line and the dangers they face as they go about their duties fighting and preventing crime, keeping order and protecting the vulnerable.

“So many workers in other sectors seem to be looking at taking industrial action over pay and conditions this summer and we will have to ‘police’ any strikes that are organised when our members cannot strike and have no redress to industrial rights.”

Officer numbers are now increasing as a result of the Government’s Police Uplift Programme which aims to recruit 20,000 officers over three years. 

But Luke has warned retention and attrition rates are producing a revolving door effect with some new recruits leaving within months of starting their policing careers and the pay squeeze and low morale also causing longer serving officers to quit.

He said: “The bottom line is we can’t recruit quickly enough and we can’t retain staff. People are coming into policing and realising how much demand, expectation and responsibility is being placed upon them and they are walking out the door.”