Page 26 - WMPF Federation Oct-Nov 2018-flip_Neat
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Colour blindness






       tests could hit






       firearms officers















































            irearms officers will now have to pass   legitimate aim.            Essex, Humberside, Leicestershire,
            two tests which detect for colour      “Previously, officers were required to pass   Nottinghamshire, Lancashire, City of London,
       Fblindness instead of one – meaning   on one of two CVD tests; they now need to   the Ministry of Defence and the Metropolitan
       officers could be told they can no longer do   pass on both. Retrospective testing is also   police.
       the role.                            taking place for those who previously      And it’s reported that at least one police
          The Police Federation of England and   undertook these tests and identified with   officer is already taking legal action over the
       Wales has said the new rules, which have   mild CVD.”                    new tests for CVD or colour blindness.
       been introduced by College of Policing, could      In 2016, the Government announced it      A spokesperson from the College of
       be discriminatory and seriously reduce the   was boosting the number of armed officers   Policing said: “The key points which the
       number of armed police officers in the   by 1,500 in response to the increased terrorist   standards establish are the ability to identify
       country.                             threat. However, this uplift has not been met   a subject based on a description, of which
          It says the regulations could be   with the latest figures showing the total is   colour could be a significant factor,
       discriminatory on grounds of disability and   some 700 officers short of that.  particularly where this may lead to pre-
       gender, because most of the 6,459 armed      Ché continued: “This single-handedly   emptive use of force or officers using lethal
       officers in England and Wales are male, and   could destroy the uplift. Hundreds will be   force or firearms, and the ability to operate
       men are much more likely than women to   affected. This is because CVD is mainly   firearms with a red dot sight system.
       suffer from Colour Vision Deficiency (CVD).  prevalent in the male population and firearms      “However, the testing which officers have
          Federation vice-chair Ché Donald said:   units are still predominantly composed of   to undergo if they fail screening, was updated
       “The test is intended to screen out CVD   male officers and CVD affects one in 12 men   last year. The changes do not exclude all
       sufferers, yet we know from extensive   and one in 200 women. Firearms officers are   officers with colour vision deficiency but only
       research studies that the tests used are   absolutely distraught.”       those below a certain threshold. The
       unreliable and do not achieve the objectives      Currently, the rules have caused issues in   standards were reviewed based on the role,
       set out by the college and are not a   a number of police forces including Devon   equipment and expert technical and medical
       proportionate means to achieving a   and Cornwall, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire,   advice on colour vision deficiencies.”

       26      federation October/November 2018                                   www.polfed.org/westmids
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