Thread by @MetFedRep

Lots of talk about “new” Stop & Search powers

The truth is many of my colleagues very reluctant to S&S due to fear of lengthy @policeconduct & DPS investigations

Government must take urgent action to implement #TimeLimits and fully support officers

Until this government start holding @policeconduct to account and stopping them from destroying hard working officer’s lives, they will not have the confidence of the rank and file.

Nobody I know is against the IOPC or DPS doing their job and quite rightly investigating complaints.

What we are against though is taking months and years to do a simple investigation and watching our colleagues mental health deteriorate.

We are fed up with watching those officers call in sick because it (understandably) gets too much for them, and then watching the remainder of our colleagues pick up the workload, adding to their stress. There aren’t enough of us to cope. 20k can’t come fast enough

Most S&S complaints are INCREDIBLY easy to investigate, especially that S&S is one of the “mandatory” times to use BWV.

On the occasion where it hasn’t recorded, it should still be easy to investigate.

Why does it take months and years?

I recently represented 5 officers for a S&S complaint. Allegation that GOWISELY wasn’t given & stop was racist.

How long did that take?

1 year for local DPS to clear officers.
1 year for IOPC to reinvestigate.
Total of 2 1/2 years to clear officers. Twice.

The result?

Five ultra hard working, excellent street cops with decades of plain clothes and uniform experience now at the end of the investigation saying, “I’m not sure I’m confident enough to S&S anyone again. It’s ruined my life.”

The impact on that is that the public are at risk, as good officers with local knowledge and a good old copper’s nose are now incredibly reluctant to S&S and as a result take weapons off the street

The officers have no confidence that the job or government will support them

And it’s not just these five officers. As a profession, bloody hell do we love to moan to each other, like I am now. These officers have told their colleagues about their 2 1/2 year ordeal and as a result other officers also have no confidence to use S&S powers

The government MUST urgently tackle this if they want to get a grip on the knife crime crisis we are in.

@BorisJohnson @patel4witham please urgently implement #TimeLimits on @policeconduct and DPS investigations.

Support your officers and let us do our jobs.

Work is being done by @PFEW_Phill @LouHaigh @PFEW_Che @PFEW_Chair @HollyLynch5 and many more to try and tackle this serious issue of #TimeLimits in police complaints

Please sign & share this petition to lend your support

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/2516…