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Firearms review
“failure”
est Midlands Police Federation around police use of firearms have been custody or after a firearms incident.
chair Rich Cooke says a long- sufficiently examined.” The Federation outlined its concerns
Wawaited Home Office review into The report concluded the right legal when that document first surfaced last
police use of firearms has failed to fulfil its and procedural protections are in place for October, most notably across three key
targets. officers following a shooting and “in a great areas:
The review was commissioned by the majority of incidents officers were dealt l The ones covering separation of officers
then Prime Minister David Cameron with as witnesses rather than suspects”. following incidents
following warnings that a lack of “That is cold comfort for officers out l Anonymity of officers
protection for firearms officers would there doing the job, knowing that if they l And the ability to allow officers to
prevent forces recruiting the number they are forced to pull the trigger their lives will review their own body-worn video
needed to combat terrorism. probably be overturned while they are footage before providing detailed
When it was announced, the under investigation, often for years,” said statements.
Government wanted to recruit an extra Ché Donald, vice-chair of the Police Ché added: “There was some movement
1,500 firearms officers but is still 40 per Federation of England and Wales. by the IOPC in relation to softening of the
cent short of that figure. “Where’s the evidence to show this has language used but we still hold concerns
“The review will do very little to ease been looked into diligently, as we would about how it will be interpreted by their
the real concerns of our firearms officers expect for such a responsible role in investigators. About the only positive thing
around the protection they receive in policing? Because it’s certainly not in this I can find to say about the whole way this
carrying out their jobs,” Rich said. review.” review process has been handled is that it
“And I can’t see how this review will The Home Office also announced its recognises the distress that IOPC
help forces to recruit the numbers we need formal approval of the Independent Office investigations and legal processes cause for
to tackle terrorism and violent crime. for Police Conduct’s (IOPC) Section 22 officers, and it concedes that in a number
“It has taken three years to produce post-incident guidance following a death or of cases IOPC investigations take too long.”
and fails to demonstrate that the issues serious injury during arrest, in or following
www.polfed.org/westmids federation February/March 2019 09
