Page 13 - WMPF Federation Magazine February / March 2018
P. 13

Tim Rogers (left) with Sir Henry Bellingham at Westminster.
          And speaking at the national Federation      And, to highlight the very real   that the up and coming trial had
       conference last May, Tim argued the current   consequences of the current law, Merseyside   overshadowed the birth of his second
       law was unsatisfactory and unworkable   police officer James Ellerman gave a   daughter. His life, he said, was put on hold.
       leaving officers risking their liberty and   presentation at conference, talking about his      He explained that he felt he had no
       livelihood.                         own experiences of being prosecuted for   alternative but, using his knowledge, training
          He won the support of West Mercia’s Chief   dangerous driving after preventing a man   and experience to cause the collision. He
       Constable Anthony Bangham, roads policing   who had been riding a motorcycle recklessly in   feared someone would be injured or killed if
       lead at the National Police Chiefs’ Council, who   Liverpool returning to the city centre by   the motorcyclist was not stopped.
       said he would work closely with the   knocking him from the vehicle using his police      “I had to stop him returning to the city, I
       Federation on the issue.            van.                                 couldn’t do nothing,” said James, explaining
          At the time, Tim told conference: “We are      He talked about the stress he went   that he felt he had to fulfil his duties of
       not asking for you to be able to drive carelessly   through during the investigation, the   protecting the public, protecting property and
       and dangerously. But the training you get has   sleepless nights, shaking with fear at the   that the motorcyclist posed a risk to the
                                           thought of being sent to prison and the fact
                                                                                public.
       to be reflected in roads policing legislation.”
    “             It was good to see this issue getting the                     was riding a stolen bike and was disqualified
                                                                                   On arresting the motorcyclist, he found he

                                                                                from driving. He thought that would be the
                  support at Parliament that it deserves.
                                                                                end of it but it was just the beginning. He was
                                                                                served with gross misconduct papers and
                  There is still a way to go in this process but
                                                                                prosecuted.
                                                                                   The judge finally cleared him, saying of

                  I am optimistic that, after seven years of
                                                                                James’ intervention ‘he was damned if he did
                                                                                and damned if he didn’t’.
                  watching our members falling foul of the                         Sir Henry assured MPs that his bill is not a
                                                                                charter for blue light drivers to act
                  law just for doing their jobs, we will get                    irresponsibly but would protect officers who
                                                                                are following their training and exercising
                  legislation that supports them in the                         their professional judgment. The bill was
                                                                                accepted with cross-party sponsors and no
                  difficult job they do.                                        dissent.
                                                                                   The bill is due to have its second reading in
                                                                                Parliament on Friday 16 March 2018.

       www.westmidspolfed.com                                            federation February/March 2018     13
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