Federation chair urges caution over call for the public to help officers in need

22 November 2018

Leicestershire Police Federation chair Dave Stokes has re-iterated a nationwide call for members of the public to help police officers if they are in need.

But he has also urged caution and suggested that people should judge each case on its merits before helping an officer because of the potential dangers involved.

The subject of the public’s involvement has come to the fore after a high-profile video was posted online and on social media showing officers from the Met being attacked in the middle of the road while trying to apprehend a group of violent men.

The man who filmed, jovially commentated on and then posted the video on his Twitter feed was then criticised by the chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW), John Apter, who said: “It deeply saddens and frustrates me that we seem to be seeing an increase in people filming officers being brutally assaulted. This is a sad indictment of society.”

The incident gained national media attention and, speaking on Radio Leicester, Dave said the decision to help an officer in need really needed to be made by the individual at the scene taking all factors into account.

“Here in Leicestershire, we do have an overwhelming level of support from the public, whether that be for an officer in need or the contact we have while policing,” said Dave.

“But when there is an aggressive incident, there is a big consideration for me. Our officers are carrying what I would call ‘protective equipment’ like CS spray, handcuffs and Taser which the public don’t have.

“Our chief constable makes sure that our officers are equipped to deal with violent subjects with equipment the public do not have.

“I would never advise the public not to help an officer in need but I would advise some caution depending on the circumstances surrounding each incident and to make sure that helping does not come with a huge personal risk to themselves.

“That is not me saying don’t help an officer who is being attacked because any assistance is always greatly appreciated.”

Dave explained that policing in Leicestershire was different to policing in the capital because of various socio-economic reasons and the fact that most of the people in Leicestershire live in the county, as opposed to the many visitors in metropolitan areas like London.

“In Leicestershire, the public owns the Force and, thankfully, attacks are a rare occurrence in the county,” he added. “Our officers do come under attack but I would suggest not in the same level as the metropolitan areas.

“The Leicestershire public have also been hugely supportive in three incidents I have been involved in over the past few months.

“The public helped us at the helicopter crash at Leicester City and there was more support about the man who was remanded and kept in custody when an officer was allegedly run over.

“There was also an incident which made big news at the time when an officer was kicked in the head and the judge decided that a custodial sentence was not necessary. It was the public who said that was not acceptable.”