Chair urges new MPs to support officers
7 February 2020
West Midlands Federation chair Jon Nott has urged the region’s MPs to put safeguarding officers at the heart of the new Parliament by backing the new Police Powers and Protections Bill.
Jon has written to all the West Midlands MPs to update them on the Federation’s work and map out the priority areas for members.
And he has encouraged them to ensure officers who put their lives on the line to protect the public have the resources they need and the full support of the criminal justice system.
“We ask for your support for the Government’s Police Powers and Protections Bill to give, among other things, police drivers better protection from prosecution,” Jon wrote. “Tim Rogers, our deputy secretary and the Federation’s national pursuits driving lead, has led the campaign to change the law to ensure highly-trained police drivers, chasing suspected criminals on the roads and driving to the very high standard required by their training, are better protected from the risk of lengthy investigation and potential prosecution.
“In addition, the bill will institute a Police Covenant to recognise the contribution that police officers make and seeks to guard and improve officer welfare and increase sentences on those who assault officers.”
He added: “The issue of assaults on officers is one we will continue to push throughout the year with the Force to ensure thorough investigations take place, and with prosecutors and the courts to ensure that offenders face the correct charges and full sentencing powers are used following conviction. All too often lenient sentences are handed down for those who assault our officers.”
Jon, who said he would welcome the opportunity to meet MPs to discuss the Federation’s and officers’ concerns further, told the MPs that he welcomed the pledge to recruit 20,000 new officers but urged the Government to commit the funding to return numbers to the levels of 2010.
He said: “West Midlands Police has lost more than 2,100 officers since 2010 when the Government’s budget cuts began and with those numbers has gone a considerable amount of experience.
“It should also be noted that there has been no corresponding fall in demand, in fact, I would say the opposite is true. While the allocation of new officers is welcomed, it will not take the Force back to the figures of pre-budget cuts. The new recruits will help officers currently struggling with a high workload, but it won’t happen overnight.
“We’re also concerned that nationally a disproportionate number of new recruits will be directed to low crime areas and not allocated based on the very real needs of forces, such as the West Midlands, to be able to tackle the serious threats we face.”
And he said that the pressure placed on officers by decreased numbers as well as the threat of violence against and an increased workload was linked to the wider issue of wellbeing.
“Being a police officer takes its toll both physically and mentally. Rising violent crime (particularly against officers), cuts to police budgets and increasingly complex crimes such as cyber-crime and historic sexual offences mean that officers are stretched more than ever before,” he said.
“With a growing number of assaults on officers and, more than ever before, officers being absent from work due to stress, depression or anxiety, we have been campaigning for measures that can further support the physical and mental wellbeing of our officers.
“In recent years we have been encouraged much has been done to address officer welfare. This includes the pledge to recruit 20,000 new officers, legislation to double the sentences for assaults on officers, the Government’s support for a Police Covenant, and £10 million ring-fenced funding for an increased roll-out of Taser.”
He told MPs: “There is more that can be done but we hope you can support this bill as it will go far and away to improving the lives of the brave men and women who police our streets and keep us safe.”
