Recent news about police officers attending what are seen to be low-level incidents are always going to be held against those incidents where police resources are not available, but such stories underline a service stretched beyond breaking point in too many directions.

Politicians demand action on issues like online abuse, yet when police respond, critics cry foul.
Officers don’t choose their deployments, but they also know seemingly minor incidents can mask serious threats.

With limited information, they must balance public safety against operational demands. If too few attend and tragedy strikes, they’re blamed for inaction; if more respond, they’re accused of overreacting.

Not every decision will be perfect, and with greater experience comes better judgment—but policing is losing its most incident-hardened decision-makers.

With pay down 21 per cent in real terms since 2009, resignations up 142 per cent since 2018 and nearly a quarter of officers planning to leave, instead of attacking frontline officers we should be asking why more than a decade of government inaction is leaving them overworked, underpaid, and under threat.

Brian Booth
Acting Deputy National Chair
Police Federation of England and Wales