Federation
Response to Green Paper
The Police Federation of England and Wales is pleased
that the government appears to have listened to many of the problems of
bureaucracy and targets we have highlighted in our reports on 24/7 and
CID policing over the years.
Anything that cuts back on unnecessary paperwork and allows police officers
to do their jobs is a step in the right direction.
Paul McKeever, Chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales
says:
'Let's hope this is not just empty words as we urgently need action. My
fear is that we have heard many of these empty promises before. It is
imperative that bureaucracy is cut once and for all.
'Police officers must be able to use their discretion and police the streets,
not spend their time satisfying meaningless national targets and filling
in forms.
Mr McKeever also expressed disappointment that this could be a missed
opportunity:
'What is desperately needed is an entire review of policing. Instead of
second guessing what the public want why doesn’t the government just
ask them? There needs to be greater public involvement in the debate on
the future of policing.
'There is much to digest in the 100 pages of the report. We will need
to examine thoroughly the content of the Green Paper and will respond
during the consultation phase.'
