Detectives urged to take part in survey

18 January 2022

West Midlands Police detectives and investigators are being urged to take part in a survey into the impact of changes to legal guidance on charging criminal cases introduced by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

The call comes from West Midlands Police Federation’s Jon Nott who is secretary of the Police Federation National Detectives’ Forum (PFNDF).

The PFNDF has launched a survey to understand how the changes, which were made in December 2020, have impacted detectives a year on.

Jon said: “The Federation is aware of the impact of the changes to the DPP guidance on charging, and the knock-on effect they’ve had on workloads and case file preparation time.

“Detectives are spending more time in front of their computer screens rather than being out of the office and on the job, investigating crime and dealing with victims and witnesses.

“It’s simply adding to workloads and to the lengths of investigations, as well as increasing stress detectives are experiencing and decreasing morale.

“Now we need detectives’ help to fully understand the impact of the changes. We want to build an evidence base so we can raise the issues with our chief officers, police and crime commissioners, MPs and in the media.

“This is why we’re asking detectives to complete a short survey, the results of which will help us to understand the issue from your point of view and give us direct feedback on how the changes have had an impact on you and your ability to serve the people of the West Midlands.”

The survey is open now until 9am on Monday 7 February.

To take part in the survey, contact the West Midlands Police Federation branch by emailing westmidlandspf@polfed.org