Challenges faced by detectives discussed in TV interview
10 March 2023
Caseloads and paperwork remain the biggest challenges for detectives, according to the chair of the Police Federation’s National Detectives’ Forum (PFNDF).
Ben Hudson said disclosure rules and the process of getting files to the Crown Prosecution Service left officers bogged down with administrative tasks.
Speaking on TalkTV as part of the channel’s Police Week, he said: “Detective workloads are huge and there are competing demands.
“Detectives are predominantly in the office or out and about making inquiries but are also carrying huge caseloads for cases which could go on for six or eight months or sometimes take more than a year to investigate.”
He said disclosure rules and data protection guidelines made their jobs even more difficult.
“The biggest challenges are caseloads and paperwork and the amount of administration needed just to get a simple charge,” he said.
His comments were echoed by West Mercia Police Federation detective lead Stephanie Dyer.
Stephanie said the Force was working hard to resolve issues over disclosure but warned it would take time.
Stephanie Dyer
“The issue has been that the initial disclosure changes back in 2020 came during Covid and changed over the Christmas period and no one had any training on these changes,” she said.
“Now the new Attorney General’s guidelines have been introduced without any forethought or planning so officers are on the back foot again with no training or support put in place.
“Officers within investigative skills suffer as they get no refresher training or opportunity for CPD yet they are the officers responsible for investigating some of the most horrific crimes so it should come as no surprise that we are one of the worst forces in the country for good investigations, according to PEEL.”
Stephanie said detectives at West Mercia Police worked exceptionally hard and reported for duty every day with the full intention of doing their very best for the victims of crime but often felt the job had become a thankless task.
She warned the increased workload, long hours and an apparent lack of recognition was affecting members’ mental health and personal lives.
“The Force makes it much harder for them all when they have to battle out of date IT systems which continually fail and infrastructure which is incompatible to support case file work,” Stephanie explained.
“This, coupled with layers of bureaucracy, has caused the workload to increase. Everything is now deemed a ‘priority’ and with fewer officers, there is little satisfaction in the work they do and little or no recognition.
“Detectives are consistently working at home whether it be on cases or portfolios to reach unrealistic deadlines.
“They never switch off and this ultimately adversely affects their mental health and personal lives.”
National chair Steve Hartshorn said it was important for detectives to be allowed to get on with their jobs.
He said: “If you want experienced investigators to do their job properly they need somewhere to work from, they need the right kit and they need the right training so while it’s nice to see boots on the ground in the uniformed sense, it’s really important that our experienced detective colleagues have the time and the space to do the job properly.
“When you look at the cuts we have had in officer numbers, it’s made it more difficult to do that because they are carrying far higher caseloads than they ever have and some of the recent changes in disclosure rules have impacted on their ability to get those case files prepared properly and quickly enough to get decisions from the Crown Prosecution Service.
“There is not just a single fix that will make it easier, there’s a whole culmination of events that have led to it becoming a very pressured job.”
