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Fed says 'no one benefits' from system where demand is high and resource low.

More than 60 per cent of police officers believe their workload is too high.

The concerning, but not surprising, statistic was revealed in a survey which illustrates how officers face an increase in demand which is affecting the quality of their work.

The Police Federation's recent welfare poll also highlighted an issue in proactive policing, with 70 per cent of respondents disagreeing or strongly disagreeing they have enough time to engage in such a thing.

Police Oracle is highlighting different elements of the survey as part of its BluePrint campaign.

The campaign wants the government to fulfil its duty of protecting officers both in the job, and when they have been forced out of the service due to physical injuries or mental trauma.

Police Oracle is calling on the Government to acknowledge and protect our unique service by introducing a Police Covenant.

The Fed has also launched Protect The Protectors with the organisation seeking a change in legislation so that officers who are assaulted in the course of their duties are afforded better protection.

Jason Kwee, Chairman of the Fed's Health and Safety sub-committee, says one of the Peelian principles of policing is the ‘prevention of crime and disorder’.

“One of the most effective ways to do this is with proactive patrols. I remember when there were sufficient staffing levels on the shift, a couple of officers would don their ‘civvy jackets’, take out an unmarked car and target specific areas or individuals. Unfortunately, such opportunities rarely exist anymore, with officers barely managing to cover the stacked calls and incidents that roll in on an average shift.”

The survey found more than half the respondents (58 per cent) disagreed or strongly disagreed that they have enough time to do their job to a standard of which they could be proud.

Mr Kwee said this was not surprising as officers are frustrated they do not always get the opportunity to give a consistent "gold standard service".

“Policing is a proud vocation and officers come to work to give the best service to the community they serve. As with most things in life, if you focus on the quantity element, then the quality may suffer," he added.

“With the constant pressure of incoming incidents, and the increasing lack of available resources, officers attending incidents will no doubt feel pressured to complete the current task as quickly as needed and to move on to the next incident. Unfortunately, no one benefits from this, especially the victims of crime.”

As reported by Police Oracle last month, other headline figures from the demand survey included:

66 per cent of officers indicated their workload was too high

33 per cent admitted being the victim of an unarmed physical attack at least once per month over the last year

36 per cent reported being attacked with a weapon at least once in the last year

70 per cent disagreed or strongly disagreed that they have enough time to engage in proactive policing

80 per cent acknowledged experiencing feelings of stress, low mood, anxiety, or other mental health and wellbeing difficulties

92 per cent of those indicated their psychological difficulties had been caused or made worse by work

View on Police Oracle