Branch secretary in productive meeting with MPs
3 October 2024
West Midlands Police Federation secretary Tim Rogers was part of a delegation of Federation officials to meet with MPs at the Labour and Conservative Party Conferences.
“I was keen to raise a number of key issues with those I spoke to at the conferences and to gain support from MPs to take these forward,” explained Tim.
“One of the subjects we discussed concerned the case of firearms officer WA80. We are calling on the Home Secretary to legislate to overturn the ruling in the case.
“We see far too many officers dragged through conduct processes and criminal investigations for simply doing the job they have been trained to do in terms of serving and protecting their communities.
Liverpool hosted the Labour Party Conference.
“Firearms officers, for example, have to make split-second decisions, assessing the threat and risk to them and the public, before pulling the trigger but then find that their actions are analysed, frame by frame, by people who it would sometimes seem just want to catch them out, and apply judgments of their actions with the benefit of hindsight.”
Tim said while police officers were pleased the Home Secretary spoke out in support of officers during the unrest over the summer, that support is not evident in the Government’s failure to legislate to overturn the WA80 ruling.
“We need more than words,” explained Tim, “The WA80 case has significant ramifications not just for firearms officers but for any officer who has to use force while upholding the law and keeping order.
Jeopardy
“If the WA80 ruling is not overturned the Federation will need to universally explain the potential jeopardy officers face because of it remaining in place.
”Both Jonathon Hinder and Sarah Edwards have agreed to look into this issue and support the Federation as it seeks a remedy. They have also committed to find out more about a potential amendment to the legislation in relation to police drivers.
“The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 gave officers better protection in law when they act in line with their prescribed training. The legislation is working, and more officers are now able to confidently drive as trained so they can keep the public safe,” Tim explained.
“But, while there is some flex within the authorised professional practice (APP), there is no legal framework to allow for officers to act instinctively to a situation that unfolds in front of them.
“This puts them in an impossible situation and a balance needs to be struck here which I pointed out as part of the public consultation on the new legislation in 2018.
“There is currently a policy vacuum, and this has to be resolved. The exemptions within the new law should have caveats, which would mean new tactics would be sanctioned through the National Police Chiefs’ Council groups. While this is resolved, we need officers to be supported.”
Tim cites as an example electric bike tactics which are being developed but are currently not part of prescribed training which may leave officers vulnerable. He says the exemption should cover this.
Tim also met with Conservative MPs at their party conference in Birmingham this week, with Lincoln Jopp, MP for Spelthorne, Surrey, and Andrew Snowden, MP for Fylde in Lancashire, also agreeing to find out more about the WA80 case and the legal framework needed to better protect police drivers.
Pay review
All four MPs voiced support for the Federation’s campaign for industrial rights for police officers and also for reform of the police pay review mechanism.
“I raised the question as to how the Government could rationalise the 22 per cent pay uplift for junior doctors at the same time as giving police officers 5 per cent – and the impression I got, quite simply, was that the doctors can strike,” said Tim.
“There seemed to be an agreement from the MPs that I spoke to – particularly Sarah since she was a union organiser before becoming an MP - that police officers should at least have the ability to collectively bargain. They are supportive of our desire to have an appropriate mechanism by which we can negotiate pay.”
Tim also tackled the issue of police funding when talking to the MPs.
“We need politicians to realise that increased funding and flexibility are needed if we are to deliver the policing services our communities need,” says Tim, “The fact that chief officers aren’t being honest about their ability to deliver and what is needed is proving problematic.
“Some are showing false positives which only adds to the problems being faced on the frontline and you only have to look at the inspectorate to see this is happening and is to the detriment of the public we serve.”
