‘Officers Second-Guessing Tackling Violent Offenders’
Police officers are second-guessing whether they should tackle violent criminals because they are being held under such tight scrutiny, Greater Manchester Police Federation has warned.
Bobbies are fearful of being put under investigation ‘just for doing their job’, according to Federation Chair Mike Peake.
Mike said officers often risk their own safety when making split-second decisions in dynamic circumstances.
He explained: “Police officers should absolutely be held to account for their actions, but there is currently far too much scrutiny on everything we do. One of the biggest tools a police officer has to help keep the public safe is to lawfully use reasonable force. Just because someone resists or becomes violent when detained, that doesn’t mean that an officer has done something wrong.
“Quite often an officer will risk their own personal safety making a split-second decision to protect others and then find themselves on the receiving end of a lengthy IOPC investigation when someone complains.”
And he added that this means officers are less likely to tackle or overpower offenders, saying “they are damned if they do and damned if they don’t.”
Mike was speaking after the President of the Police Superintendents’ Association said police officers are becoming risk averse because they are so frightened that making a genuine error in a stressful situation could cost them their careers. Nick Smart told the Daily Telegraph that colleagues are losing confidence due to the immense pressure and scrutiny they are facing.
Mr Smart, who represents more than 1,500 senior operational leaders across England and Wales, said the misconduct system should focus on rooting out corrupt and criminal officers rather than punishing those who made genuine errors.
He said: “What has happened is there is now a culture of risk aversion because nobody wants to gamble their career, liberty, mortgage and family over a decision, because in the current climate there is no faith in the system.
“Officers feel if they make a genuine mistake, they may get punished and if we want an ethical service, then we have got to create an environment where officers know that if they make a mistake, when they admit it, and where appropriate, they will get reflective practice.
“We are not talking about sexual offences or drugs or corruption, but for officers doing their best day in day out, policing risk if they have done it in good faith in accordance with their training in accordance with the College of Policing risk principles. They should not always face discipline but all too often they do.”
Mike said he agreed with Nick’s comments, adding “Police officers have a range of tools to do their job, but those tools can only be used effectively if they receive the right level of backing from their Chief Constables and Government. It’s about time that police officers who carry out an extremely difficult job get the support that they deserve.”