Support for bid to protect officers at police stops

5 October 2022

Tim Rogers (left) pictured at the Police Federation conference earlier this year when he took part in a panel session on the new legislation affecting police drivers.

A Federation campaign for a change in the law which would mean officers could require motorists to get out of their vehicles after a police stop is set to be reinvigorated with the support of a Conservative MP.

Tim Rogers, secretary of West Midlands Police Federation and national Federation lead on response driving and police driver training, has led the campaign after a growing number of incidents in which officers have been seriously injured by drivers who when stopped by police refused to get out of their vehicle and instead drove at them when making off.

He was among a group of Federation officials who on Monday attended an engagement event with MPs arranged during the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham.

“During this meeting I had a conversation with Jane Hunt, Conservative MP for Loughborough in Leicestershire, who was interested in our work to secure an amendment to Section 163 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 or a new power under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE),” says Tim.

“Albeit this was not on the list for discussion, I took the opportunity to ask her to be the sponsor for our previously unsuccessful bid for a change to legislation to be reinvigorated. She kindly accepted.

“We need more to be done to protect police officers. Far too many have been injured by those who use their vehicles as a weapon to seek to avoid arrest when stopped by police. A legal requirement for people to leave their vehicle when asked to do so by a police officer could reduce the number of incidents where officers are injured in these circumstances.

“We have gathered a body of evidence from officers who have been injured or who have felt at risk in such incidents and this will support our bid for legislative change.”

Ms Hunt was also familiar with the Federation’s successful campaign to give police drivers better protection in law with their driving set to be judged by the standards of their trained peers rather than the previous ‘careful and competent’ driver under the provisions of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022.

She was supportive of the Federation’s calls for an amendment to the act so that the way officers’ driving is assessed is set out in law rather than in new Authorised Professional Practice (APP) and also agreed to ask the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to respond to a Federation request for the DPP guidance to be updated in line with the legislative changes.

The engagement meeting in Birmingham was attended by a number of MPs including Bob Blackman (Harrow East), Louie French (Old Bexley and Sidcup), Mark Eastwood (Dewsbury) and Andy Carter (Warrington South). Others in attendance included Northamptonshire Police and Crime Commissioner Stephen Mould.

Federation national chair Steve Hartshorn and deputy chair Tiff Lynch were also joined by a number of Federation officials including Nicky Ryan, the Welsh lead, Steve Taylor from the Federation’s Parliamentary Working Group and Dave Bamber who leads on the Special Constabulary.

One of the main areas of discussion was the Police Uplift Programme and the risks to its success due to attrition rates.

“Both Jane and Andy were understanding of the tension and pressure caused by the ambitious uplift target. They understood our concerns re the infrastructure not being capable of supporting such rapid growth and would be supportive of realignment of the funds which could mean taking some of the £17 billion funding and using it to create the supportive structure the police service needs to support the 20,000 extra officers recruited through the three-year uplift programme,” says Tim.

Other topics covered included the Federation’s calls for amendments to Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) disclosure guidance which has left officers struggling under a huge workload.

The CPS guidance, introduced last year and known as DG6, is having an huge impact on officers and staff.

Tiff explained: “Those at the meeting grasped what we were saying in terms of DG6 and Mark Eastwood in particular showed support for our campaign. All in all, the meeting was really productive, giving us the chance to have face to face engagement with MPs, explain the realities of policing and the challenges officers are facing.

“We need to forge effective relationships with MPs if we are to properly represent our members’ views and help politicians develop a deeper understanding of the pressure officers face, the ever-changing demands of policing our communities and the need for more consistent long-term funding in policing.

“The Government’s number one priority should be the safety and security of the public and policing has a massive part to play in that.”