Page 11 - WMPF Federation Dec2018-flip_Neat

Funding cuts are

at the root of the

problems we face

here was widespread condemnation more of these videos circulated by idiots stations - the symbolic presence of policing
when video emerged of a police unconcerned about officers and often in local communities – are disappearing.
Tofficer being karate-kicked by thugs mocking them. I think this is a symptom of The public are feeling the loss, a Facebook
as someone filmed the attack and did the social media age we live in rather than a group in Birmingham called ‘We stand
nothing to help. wider decay in moral values. determined’ has more than 2,000 members
The sickening incident, in London and There have always been elements in who talk about patrolling the streets. These
involving an officer from the Met, attracted society who hate the police and all we appear well-intentioned people who want
blanket media coverage and opened up stand for. But I retain a strong faith that to protect their communities. The public are
a debate about whether members of the the vast majority of the public trust and desperate for visible, traditional policing;
public should intervene. respect us. As we saw in this video, a passing officers who know them and understand
In the days after the attack, West motorcyclist did help the officers and he their area.
Midlands Police Federation chair Rich Cooke deserves recognition for his actions. But my colleagues feel more exposed
was asked for his views and penned this But, as the backdrop to this, we need to than ever before and are struggling to meet
article which looks at some of the wider accept front-line policing has become almost demand. While funding is a major issue, we
issues. totally reactive and that has damaged our also need to free them from the bureaucracy
I woke up yesterday to a message telling relationship with the communities we that quite often leads to skewed priorities.
me that four colleagues had been assaulted, serve. Traditionally, we would complete foot For example, domestic violence is one
one sexually, overnight. This has become patrols. We knew the local dynamics, where massive area of police demand, and it’s
the sad reality of my daily duties as I contact to look when a crime occurred, the places absolutely vital we deal with this. But in
officers assaulted or otherwise injured and stolen goods might be stashed and would our Force – and others - officers are obliged
offer support. But I am overwhelmed by have a good idea of possible suspects. in all cases to complete a mandatory risk
sheer numbers. Today, a report of a stolen car might assessment, involving intimate questions,
In the last few days, we’ve had elicit no response other than its number and record a “non-crime” number which has
numerous other assaults; an officer knocked plate being placed on various systems for to be written up. The definition of domestic
unconscious, another dragged along the electronic recognition. Automation and the abuse is extremely wide, including current or
road, one ran over. They are not alone. Home law of averages is seen as a more ‘efficient’ former intimate partners and incidents, often
Office figures show nationwide there are way of screening out crimes than the good of a very minor, low-risk nature, between
71 assaults on officers each day. In line with old bobby with local knowledge and an wider family members. This all takes time in
the Federation’s Protect the Protectors ability to put two and two together. But the an officer’s day.
campaign on officer assaults, we need to see role of the local officer was not just about What we’ve seen in recent years is the
more offenders charged for these attacks reacting to crime, it was about forging links denigration of traditional policing, through
and tougher sentences handed down. But, with the public, encouraging them to be our funding and the deskilling of officers who are
of course, it’s not just officers under attack, eyes and ears so we could work together. The increasingly reactive, bound by mandatory
knife crime is rampant, with machetes public are the police and the police are the ‘catch-all’ policies from using common
increasingly appearing on our streets. public. We are at risk of losing that. sense, tied to ‘specialist’ units and unable to
When I saw the video on social media Funding cuts are a fundamental cause of forge the links with their communities that
of Met police officers being attacked and the problems we now face. We’ve got 1970s everyone knows should be the bedrock of
karate-kicked, I felt as angry as Ken Marsh, levels of officers, as we have lost one in four effective policing.
my London counterpart. We are seeing of our number in just eight years. Police

www.polfed.org/westmids federation December 2018/January 2019 11