Hertfordshire Police Federation

"There needs to be more of a deterrent against attacking police officers"
Home Secretary Theresa May is to meet police and justice chiefs to consider making assaults on officers a specific “aggravated offence” punishable with inevitable imprisonment.
Currently just one in seven criminals convicted of an assault on a police officer is jailed, latest figures show. The Home Secretary is taking action after hearing while meeting the Police Federation about the horrific case of Se...rgeant Andrew Heald, who had acid thrown in his eyes.
Andy has acid thrown in his face - but his attacker car thief Joseph McAllister, 38, who was on licence from prison at the time, was given just 20 months in jail after admitting actual bodily harm.
In his first interview since the attack at a Bradford garage in March, Sgt Heald said: “There needs to be much more of a deterrent to stop criminals taking liberties.
“I was extremely disappointed at the sentence handed out to my attacker...20 months, for a very serious assault that came dangerously close to blinding me, isn’t justice. With good behaviour, he’ll probably be out in 10 months.
"Assaults on police officers should carry with them mandatory custodial sentences with the seriousness of the attack reflected in the length of jail term. I thought I may never see again and would be scarred for life. Even now my vision is still slightly blurred.”
Nick Smart, chairman of West Yorkshire Police Federation, said: “There is currently no legislation or guidance for judges as to how much additional sentence should be given for assaulting a police officer.
“We are calling for a specific offence of aggravated assault of a police officer, and a review of sentencing guidelines to support judges, and give them the freedom to impose stricter sentences.”
Home Secretary Theresa May said soft sentences handed out to criminals who assault police officers have often left her thinking “that’s just wrong”.
She pledged: “We are looking more closely at the issue of assaults on police officers. What I will commit to do is to sit down with the Police Federation to look at the examples officers are reporting and look at what is happening across the country to then see where that takes us.”
http://www.express.co.uk/…/Theresa-May- UK-police-MET-crimin…
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A Royston police officer has spoken of the hard work he has put in as lesbian and gay liaison officer to represent the LGBT community in tackling homophobia and ensuring issues are dealt with in the correct way.
As a member of the gay community, PC Mike Hardiman felt he was well equipped to help promote understanding and awareness of the discrimination sometimes faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
He said: “I was aware from my personal experiences that som...etimes gay people can feel underrepresented in the police force, or feel that their specific situation won’t be understood by the average police officer.
“I thought I may be able to help bridge a gap and, on occasion, be able to assist colleagues when dealing with sensitive matters.
“As a lesbian and gay liaison officer, I really enjoy becoming a point of contact or reference to colleagues and to the community, especially as I have a better understanding of their individual needs.
“I think it’s an important role which is worth the constabulary investing in.
“There is a large LGBT community in Hertfordshire, making up a considerable proportion of the ‘customers’ we serve which deserves to be a represented group with dedicated officers able to deal with their issues.
“I understand how some members of the LGBT community may feel anxious about approaching the police for assistance, but I would say there is no need to at all. The Herts force is diverse and strives for equality.
“LGBT people should be rest assured that whatever the report or request, they will be listened to, taken seriously and dealt with dignity and respect.”
The 80 lesbian and gay liaison officers in the force aim to provide additional support and understanding to the LGBT community, and advise and support fellow police officers dealing with homophobic incidents.
Pride month – celebrated each year to honour the 1969 Stonewall Riots in Manhattan, runs throughout June. The annual Pride Festival starts in London next Friday, June 10, and a Herts Pride event is planned for September in Hemel Hempstead.
http://www.royston-crow.co.uk/…/royston _police_officer_take…
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'Historic' agreement between three forces and fire services
Three forces will work in "close partnership" with their fire and rescue services following the signing of a "historic" Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
The MoU – which will come into effect during the investigation of fire scenes – has been agreed and signed by police forces and fire and rescue services in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire.
... A report outling the agreement says principal areas of mutual interest are:
- all fires involving fatalities - all fires involving serious injury - all deliberately started fires involving injury - all deliberately started fires involving property - all deliberately started fires involving incidents that appear to have been committed against someone because of their disability, gender-identity, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation
It will also apply to road, air, marine and railway incidents. Investigations will be conducted in line with the Forensic Science Regulator’s Code of Practice.
The MoU took 12 months to complete and was managed by Scenes of Crime Officer Claire Firth and Mark Barter, Beds Fire and Rescue Service Station Commander.
Andy Bliss, Hertfordshire Constabulary Chief Constable said: “The public rightly expects us to find ways to work more efficiently and this is a positive step forward.
“It means blue light colleagues will have greater access to good practice and support as required.”
http://www.policeoracle.com/…/-historic --agreement-between-…
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Missing Hertfordshire man found safe and well
#GoodPoliceWork
#MuchMoreThanCrimeFighters
... http://www.whtimes.co.uk/…/missing_hert fordshire_man_found_…
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Licence to practice proposal for public protection officers
A “licence to practice” is to be introduced for public protection roles to bring them into line with the standards required to practice firearms, the College of Policing has said.
Alex Marshall (pictured), who leads the College, has said more needs to be done to standardise training and experience across the service. He told the Police Federation of England and Wales’ annual conference: “We need to bring in a li-cenc...e to practice or something similar.”
He added: “We are quite good about qualifications and maintaining skills in some areas. For instance, we are pretty strict about who can carry a police firearm, reclassifica-tion throughout the year and we maintain a list about who is qualified.
“But in public protection we are quite weak in terms of having a licence to practice. We have people in high risk roles, constables, sergeants, inspectors and DCIs overseeing public protection who don’t have a qualification in this area or don’t have it yet. That is something we will look at.”
The licence would professionalise standards across the country and would be akin to those used in other professions such as midwifery, he added. Mr Marshall also said the move would provide po-lice officers who carry out such high risk roles much better support.
An investigation from HMIC last year concluded that not one single police force in England and Wales could be classified as “outstanding” at protecting those who are vulnerable from harm. And 31 forces were judged to be either inadequate or requiring improvement in this area.
The Home Secretary said in her speech to Conference this week: “I will bring forward proposals with the College to develop minimum training and standards for certain specialist roles and to give the College responsibility to enforce those standards through a system of national accreditation.
“This will deliver higher standards for specialist investigators, including for domestic abuse and child sexual abuse, and ensure that these are as rigorously and as consistently applied in protecting the vulnerable as they are in other critical areas like firearms and public order.”
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Police forces to consider employing 'on-site psychologists' to help deal with trauma
Under the proposals psychologists would keep an eye on officers and their patterns of behaviour to step in as soon as problems arise.
Data released last month by mental health charity Mind shows that 27 per cent of 1,641 emergency services staff questioned in an online poll had contemplated taking their own lives.
... And figures compiled by the University of Nottingham show 39 per cent of police officers have sought help for mental health issues – half within the last year.
Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector Sir Tom Winsor told the Police Federation annual conference in Bournemouth that the idea of employing resident psychologists would be looked at “seriously” by HMIC.
He said: “Police deal with people who have severe mental health problems in the community but very little, it seems to me, is understood about the mental health conditions of police officers and how that can deteriorate.
“Officers who are properly diagnosed with mental health problems need professional help.
"One of the things that exasperates me is that in this country we gear towards our physical needs and impairments as requiring immediate help but if someone has a mental health problem it can be six months or a year before you even get an appointment.”
http://www.express.co.uk/…/police-force s-consider-employing…
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The Police service must do more to support female officers going through the menopause if they are to retain talented officers and avoid costly employment tribunals, the annual conference of the Police Federation of England and Wales has heard.
With an ever-ageing workforce, issues affecting female officers need to be given greater attention, said Dee Collins, President of the British Association for Women in Policing.
CC Collins, temporary Chief Constable of West Yorkshire P...olice, said the menopause was the “last unmanaged health taboo” in the police service.
CC Collins said: “Many colleagues may be left feeling isolated and vulnerable at time when they need our support. The average age at which women go through the meno-pause is 52. I know of one officer who went through it at 27. It can result in a host of health issues – seven in 10 women experience debilitating symptoms.”
Symptoms of the menopause can include fatigue, memory impairment, loss of concentra-tion, increased bone fractures, weight gain and mood changes. They can also experience stress, depression, anxiety, problems sleeping and poor coping skills.
And women who are going through the menopause may find harder to pass interview boards and exams, the conference heard.
CC Collins added: “Without required training for line managers in dealing with this, talented and experienced officers and staff will be tempted to leave the service because they feel unsupported. We are determined to address this. This is not a ‘nice-to-do’. We have legislative obligations to manage this.”
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Drivers left tempted to break law due to dip in number of traffic #police officers, RAC fears
Motorists are being lured into breaking the law more frequently as police forces rely increasingly on speed cameras rather than specialist police officers, the RAC has claimed.
The motoring organisation published research which showed the number of dedicated traffic police fell by nearly 200 outside London last year, and warned the development would cause "dismay" among law-abiding ...motorists.
The figures for England and Wales showed the number of specialist roads policing officers dipped below 4,000.
In March 2014, there were 4,092 officers but the total at the same point last year was down 191 to 3,901, or a five percent fall.
The RAC said that over a five-year period, the number outside London has plummeted by 1,437 - a 27 per cent reduction over five years.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/…/drivers-le ft-tempted-to-break…/
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Lack of plans to roll out Taser to officers a “disgrace”
It is a disgrace that there are no current plans for a wider roll-out of Taser, the Police Federation conference has heard.
John Apter, chairman of Hampshire Police Federation, described Taser as an essential piece of equipment and said the service needs to rethink its strategy on the less-lethal weapon. In Essex the Federation are looking to treble the number of Tase
... Mr Apter said: “Taser is an essential piece of equipment – we lobbied hard with the Chief Constable and PCC and they agreed.
“We have 400 officers authorised to use it but I want more because it gives confidence and it prevents serious injury. I have evidence that it protects officers.
“To the NPCC – please rethink your position on Taser. To say it shouldn’t be rolled out further is a disgrace.
“Taser has proven itself time and again that with the right training and right use of force it is an essential us of kit and must be rolled out to every officer who wants to use it.
“Chiefs around the country – it’s your decision. I accept its expensive but what is the cost of the safety of your officers?”
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Officers could be sacked and prosecuted after a pursuit
Police officers can be convicted, fined, banned and sacked for doing their duty when it comes to police pursuits, the Police Federation Conference has heard.
Officers were advised to “seek advice before ever making a statement” in a session entitled: “Witness or Suspect? Does pursuits legislation really protect police drivers?”
... Leading Barrister Mark Aldred – a former police officer – (pictured) said it was “much better for police to be a suspect that a witness”.
He said: “Being told that you’re a witness just makes the officer more vulnerable because witnesses don’t have the same safeguards.”
Mr Aldred is a prominent lawyer who successfully defended PC James Holden in a high profile Dangerous Driving case in 2012. PC Holden was a Hampshire Police officer who was accused by the Crown Prosecution Service of putting innocent people at risk during a pursuit through Portsmouth.
He added: “Any pursuit or any response involves risk – it’s not fair to have a system that recognises that every pursuit and response creates risk and when risk materialises then straight away it’s pilot error and the officer is at fault.
“Before any [police officer] is asked to make a statement, the officer belief that they haven’t done anything wrong is neither here nor there, especially in a driving case. I would say seek advice before ever making a statement.”
The Police Federation of England and Wales is working with the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) to develop a draft legislation change on this issue.
The Federation is “aiming for this to be debated in Parliament in January 2017”.
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999 call handlers suspended after 'making hundreds of bogus calls'
Five police control room staff have been suspended amid claims they made hundreds of 999 calls to inflate performance figures.
The employees, hired by G4S Public Services, worked for Lincolnshire Police and are alleged to have made the test calls during quieter times to ensure they answered them quickly.
... Emergency call handlers for the force are required to answer 92% of 999 calls within 10 seconds, or G4S Public Services is fined.
It is claimed the illegitimate calls were made in October, November and December 2015. Figures show 724 calls were made during this time.
The figures also showed the handlers missed their targets in November (90.19%), and December (89.24%). The bogus calls would have increased the figures to around 93%.
http://www.itv.com/…/999-call-handlers- suspended-after-mak…/
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Police station evacuated after unexploded bomb handed in
#JobLikeNoOther
Watford police station was evacuated after an unexploded bomb was handed in at the front counter.
... Staff were forced to close the building in Shady Lane after a member of the public brought the device into the reception at around 9.30am.
Experts from Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) have been called to help them safely dispose of the device, which is believed to date from the Second World War.
The bomb was handed in by a man who said he had found it in his garage.
www.watfordobserver.co.uk/…/14510232.Po lice_station_evacua…/
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Conservative MP Philip Davies: Police deserve better protection in law.
"I have asked Parliamentary questions and have been shocked to find out that only one in seven criminals convicted of an assault on a constable in the execution of their duty received a prison sentence at all."
Read more: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/…/philip -davies-police-deser…

Police constable Dave Phillips awarded Freedom of Wirral
Hero constable Dave Phillips has been posthumously awarded the Freedom of Wirral - as his dad has spoken movingly of how the community had supported his family.
The dad-of two, killed in a hit-and-run in October, was given the honour at a special ceremony at Wallasey Town Hall attended by his family and friends.
... The rare honour was a tribute to PC Phillips ’ “bravery and courage in public service”.
PC Phillips’ father Robin said: “Since David was killed…our families have received so many words, deeds and gestures of outstanding generosity.
“Most of his life Dave struggled to overcome difficulties such as dyslexia and illnesses.
“We miss him so much. Words are totally inadequate to express our loss.”
Mr Phillips went on to thank Wirral council “with deepest sincerity and profound humility” for awarding the freedom of the borough to his son.
He added: “David’s work was very important to him.
“He enjoyed what he did and I’ve had various people say to me that if it hadn’t been for Dave Phillips they would have been on a rocky road.
“Dave’s friends and colleagues have been a rock to the families.
“It has helped us in the dark places we go to that there are people out there who do care.”
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/…/police -constable-dave-phil…
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Hertfordshire Police Federation to look to introduce the 7 point plan on police assaults
Chairman Neal Alston looks back at the Police Federation of England and Wales Conference this week.
“We have a debrief every day for Hertfordshire delegates and we have resolved to take forward the Operation Hampshire (the 7-point plan), and we’ve also resolved to go forward and take a couple of other bits to our Chief Officer, so it’s been useful from that point of view, that there are ...things that have been brought to our attention that we can take forward and go back to the Chief with."
See the 7 point plan here http://www.npcc.police.uk/…/Commun…/S even%20Point%20Plan.JPG
What more can be done to protect officers from assaults?
“We discussed it as a board and there were lots of different views from our officers. We were fairly confident in Hertfordshire we’ve got a good grip on supporting officers. In terms of protecting officers it’s always been ‘not part of the job’ as was made clear, but there’s an understanding that it does happen and I’m not sure the whether the figures are showing an increase but of course the reduction in numbers of officers is never going to make things safer, it’s always going to make things worse.
“Officers have to, as the force says, conduct dynamic risk assessments and maybe those dynamic risk assessments mean they don’t intervene in things when perhaps they would have liked to in the past because they know the supports not there to turn up and back them up when they need it. Yes, it’s probably a new style of policing because of the reduction in numbers of officers.”
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Video: Bobbies on the Beat are an essential link in a chain
#TacklingTerrorism #PolFed16
https://youtu.be/GNww0lbO-nU

“Home Secretary should increase sentences for officer assaults”
Government must do more to ensure that officers receive the full support of the law when they are assaulted on duty, the Police Federation conference has heard.
Steve White, Chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales called on the Home Secretary to increase sentences for those who attack or injure police officers, the annual Police Federation of England and Wales conference in Bournemouth heard this w...eek.
Mr White said: “We see harsher sentences for financial crime than we do for physical assault. The law must not put wealth ahead of wellbeing. And so, Home Secretary, I ask you today commit to increase sentences for all public servants who are assaulted while doing their job – helping and serving their communities.”
The Home Office and the Federation have been working together to improve data collection on officer assaults under Operation Hampshire, a project that should be hailed as a success, the conference heard.
But further work needed to be done if officers are to be protected, Mr White added, saying that “coppers should be put ahead of cash” when it comes to the wider roll-out of Taser.
The conference heard that 97% of officers who have used Taser said it was beneficial.
Mr White said: “No police officer should ever go to work with an expectation that they will be injured. Home Secretary, the message from the rank and file is clear – we need Taser. Fewer police officers means those policing are often without the quick back-up and support needed if a situation turns violent. Taser protects the public; it protects us…It even protects offenders.
“Don’t make chief officers use the already depleted police budget to roll it out. Home Secretary; please give them the extra money needed to do so. Government always finds money when it’s needed. We should not put a price on public safety.”
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“Forces have a duty to fix officers when they are broken by the job.”
Police officers experience twice as much workplace stress as those in other professions, the Police Federation Annual Conference has heard.
Up to 38 per cent of officers said they found their job “very or extremely stressful” compared with just 16 per cent of the rest of the adult population, according to Prof Jonathan Houdmont, assistant professor of occupational health psychology at the University of Not...tingham.
More than 17,000 police officers from across the country responded to the university’s survey of mental health this year.
It found that 66 per cent of officers had a workload that was “too high or much too high” and 78 per cent of officers felt there were not enough officers in their team to do a proper job.
Prof Houdmont said: “Policing is stressful. The data clearly shows that the rate of stress in policing is considerably higher than that found in the general adult population. The mental wellbeing of police officers is considerably poorer too.
“A large proportion of officers have sought help for mental health and wellbeing problems. There are mixed perceptions of support provided by forces for wellbeing issues. There is considerable scope to improve support provided.”
The key issues were that interviewed officers were fearful of disclosing they were having mental health worries due to the stigma involved, a lack of workplace support, and concerns about work exposing them to further traumatic situations which would trigger future episodes of stress.
62 per cent of officers said they never or rarely felt optimistic and 60 per cent never or rarely felt relaxed.
Of those who had been off work sick in the previous 12 months, more than a quarter (29 per cent) said one or more days of that had been due to stress, depression or anxiety.
And 65 per cent said they still went to work even though they felt they shouldn’t have because of the state of their mental wellbeing.
Meanwhile, a third of line managers in the service are suffering from undiagnosed depression, Stephen Bevan, head of HR research development at Institute of Employment Studies told the conference.
He added: “Mental health support must be seen as an investment, rather than a cost. The build up of stress is too often ignored or dismissed.
“West Midlands Police is appointing new head of wellbeing which is to be welcomed. [The communications company] BT invest a lot in training managers and have seen 30 per cent reduction in workplace absence because of stress.”
Che Donald, PFEW lead on officer welfare and mental health, added: “Forces have a duty to fix officers when they are broken by the job.”
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