Response driving: Tim in Home Office discussions over new law
22 January 2020
The setting of standards for police drivers under the new legislation that will give them better protection from conduct and criminal proceedings is likely to sit under the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC).
Currently, police drivers are judged by the standard of the careful and competent under driving laws but this takes no account of their unique role, their training and their experience.
Tim Rogers, deputy secretary of West Midlands Police Federation and national Federation response driving lead, met with Home Office officials on Monday to discuss the finer details of the changes set to be introduced under the Police Powers and Protections Bill which will allow for police drivers’ skills to be taken into account.
“Setting the standard by which police officers’ driving will be assessed is likely to fall within policing due to the main experience and knowledge on the matter sitting with relevantly and recently experienced officers. The accepted proposal is for the management and referral process to be governed through the most relevant NPCC group,” says Tim.
“The driver training strategic group headed up by Lancashire Deputy Chief Constable Terry Woods seems most appropriate as it has access to the regional driver training leads, the very people who assess officers as reaching the national standards expected in line with the licence provided by the College of Policing.”
However, Tim says the process through which this will be facilitated presents some challenges.
“Consistency of material provided is critical,” he explained, “My strong view is that as this is an expert witness function with the duty being not to the investigator but the process of truth then all available evidence must be provided. Currently, the Independent Office for Police Conduct sends only some of the evidence asking for an opinion which, of course, is flawed.
“The Home Office supports this stance and, albeit the IOPC was responsible for the almost collapse of the previous steering group due to its view that it wasn’t independent, the legislation will make this fair process obligatory.”
Ahead of the Home Office meeting, Tim met with the police liaison lead at the Department for Transport (Dft) to get an update on the national review of roads policing and also submit evidence on behalf of the Federation.
The two-year review has eight strands and will look at how roads policing currently operates, how effective it is and where improvements could be made.
Further updates will be given at next week’s Police Federation roads policing conference being held in Kenilworth on Tuesday and Wednesday (28 and 29 January).
