Page 12 - WMPF Federation June-July 2021_Neat

Conference Day 1

PM Chair reflects

thanks on challenging

officers year in keynote

speech

olice Federation chair John Apter has
reflected on an extraordinary year in
Phis keynote speech to this year’s
annual conference.
John said officers found themselves in
unprecedented situations and often felt they
were held responsible when things went
wrong.
He noted assaults on officers shot up
during the coronavirus pandemic as they
became the focus of public anger and
frustration.
The chair told members: “This past year
has been one of the most challenging and
one of the most extraordinary for us all in
recent history.
“For the past 15 months we have been
required to police in a way that none of us
ever expected to when we joined the job.
“We knew it was never going to be easy.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson. But our job was made even harder by the
Boris Johnson delivered a message of ever changing rules and regulations.”
thanks and support at the opening of the He told Home Secretary Priti Patel, who
conference. also addressed the conference: “We had
The Prime Minister issued a ‘huge officers going out on patrol literally hours
thank you’ to officers for their work after the new regulations were introduced.
during the pandemic and praised them “They had often received no detailed National Police Federation chair John Apter.
for rising ‘to an enormous challenge’. briefing because the laws had only just been
In a recorded message, he said: “Just passed, which meant they were often going difficult of circumstances they became the
as I could never have imagined being out on patrol with no specific detail about focus of public anger and frustration.
forced to close pubs and bars and what the change meant for policing. “And for some perverse reason, some
restaurants or tell people how many “There was no discussion about how to chose to see us as the enemy. We were
households could get together, I bet that deal with the new laws or the new guidance. labelled the villains of the pandemic and
policing restrictions in that way was not And let’s be honest Home Secretary, the that is grossly unfair.
something you ever dreamt you would rules were not always crystal clear.” “A minority of people - and let’s be
be doing. Admitting there were ‘some mistakes’ as honest about this: often agitators intent on
“But you did it because you knew it a result, he said that the police had unfairly causing mayhem - focused their anger and
was how we were going to protect the become the focus of blame. often violence on police officers.
NHS and save lives.” He said: “Despite our best efforts, there “Well, I have a message to those who
He added: “You have shown over the were some mistakes and that was inevitable goaded my colleagues, a message to those
past year just why British police are the given the circumstances and policing has who attacked police officers who were
best in the world, now we are going to never shied away from saying so. But my simply doing their job and to those vile
make sure you have the tools you need to colleagues, who had been put in an people who weaponised Covid by coughing
deal with criminals, make our streets impossible position, became the focus of and spitting at my colleagues, often saying
safer, and get on with the job you signed blame. they had Covid and they hope the officer
up to do.” “My colleagues, who were doing their caught it and died.
very best, every single day, in the most “To those individuals: you disgust me,

12 federation June/July 2021 www.polfed.org/westmids