Derbyshire police advocate says cops take the blame “all too often”

Tony Wetton made the comments as the federation’s chairman John Apter described police getting “the finger of blame” despite ”intolerable” pressure and “unavoidable” delays.

Derbyshire chairman Tony, noting a “decade of cuts” with “no corresponding decrease in demand”, said: “We are the service of first and last resort.

“The service that never says no and yet all too often we are also the service that ends up taking the blame when something goes wrong.”

In 2019 the Government launched a national campaign to recruit 20,000 new police officers however Tony says “we need a sustained investment in policing - not just a boost for three years”.

Speaking about Derbyshire he said: “Ten years ago Derbyshire Police had 300 more officers than there are today.

“We might get back to where we were in 2010 but the last 10 years have been really challenging and there are now four million more people in the UK.”

Tony said during the pandemic officers “struggled” to enforce the “constantly changing” Government guidelines alongside their already-stretched usual duties.

He added: “We need to see genuine, meaningful appreciation and support for the jobs our police officers do - enough empty platitudes from Government ministers.”

Tony’s comments come after John Apter, the Federation’s national chair, said police were “nowhere near where we need to be” in terms of staffing to do their jobs effectively.

He said: “Low numbers and a global pandemic mean that there is more pressure.

“Pressure on frontline officers, response policing, detectives and pressure on back office functions including departments like firearms licensing.

“We need to increase our numbers, officers and staff above what is promised by the Government or we will continuously be chasing our tail - never being able to be fully proactive in dealing with the pressures we face.

“The lack of genuine investment in policing is putting the public at risk and that is something that no society should ever accept. My colleagues, officers and staff, are committed to doing everything that we can to keep the public safe, but we need the help to do this.”

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