Page 25 - Federation Magazine June / July 2017
P. 25
Watchdog attacked for
making firearms officers
feel like suspects
The Independent Police Complaints and Wales who volunteer to carry firearms investigations into firearms incidents since
Commission (IPCC) has come under a for being the best trained and most 2010, there had only been three cases where
withering attack for making firearms restrained in the world. officers were served with notices of
officers involved in a serious incident ‘feel But he said those officers face a testing investigation.
like suspects rather than witnesses’. time if they discharge their weapon with the The IPCC had only used its powers of
Che Donald, the Police Federation of current Post-Incident Procedures (PIP) that arrest once and she added that a member of
England and Wales (PFEW) lead on firearms, are in place which say that officers should be the public involved in a death would not be
was hugely critical of the IPCC, who he separated from their colleagues. given 24 hours to compose themselves
accused of showing a ‘lack of trust’ in “Once a firearms officer discharges a before questioning, so there was a case for
firearms officers. weapon on behalf of the state and in order equal treatment towards officers.
Later in the Firearms Officers – to protect themselves or the public, they are “We believe that having clear procedures
Witnesses or Suspects session, Sarah Green, meant to be treated as professional will protect officers and ensure consistency
the deputy chair of the IPCC, gave her witnesses. However, if you speak to many in approach,” she said.
response and outlined the processes they firearms officers about this point, they will Former Met firearms officer Tony Long
had to go through. tell you a different story,” he explained. also told conference about his 25 years as a
Che said that incidents where firearms “An overwhelming majority will say the specialist firearms officer and trainer
have been discharged are very low in the UK. way they are currently dealt with makes covering incidents in which he had fired a
From April 2015 to March 2016, there were them feel more like a suspect. There is only weapon. Investigators looking at the
14,753 firearms operations but they were one reason for this, the IPCC. Many officers incidents later had the benefit of hindsight,
only discharged on seven occasions. believe that IPCC investigations start to freeze-framed videos and took months, and
As a result, he praised officers in England establish blame not fact. sometimes years, to review those decisions
He claimed that the issue of separation officers made in a split second when facing a
Former Met was the main cause of concern in PIPs. He life-threatening situation.
firearms officer said there were grave concerns about the Investigators, Tony said, need to know
Tony Long. IPCC’s insistence that officers should be there is a difference between human recall
separated at the post-incident suite to avoid and the product of a video and explained
‘collusion’. that video footage and separating officers
“They stress that separation is not would not produce best evidence.
segregation but there is a perception of a He outlined how an investigation
lack of trust by the IPCC. It infers that launched after he shot Azelle Rodney in 2005
officers will collude. I believe the issue of had hung over him ‘like a cloud’, cost him
separation is flawed and unnecessary. work and therefore caused financial
“The IPCC are there to ensure that the hardship until finally he was cleared.
incident is investigated. The problem I have He called on the IPCC to show the same
is that we are currently in a position where duty of care, empathy and sympathy to
the police force is struggling with trust, faith firearms officers involved in shootings as
and confidence in the IPCC and this is not a they showed to victims’ families saying their
healthy place to be.” own families were equally victims in these
Ms Green said that out of 25 incidents.
www.westmidspolfed.com federation June/July 2017 25
