The police have had enough of this government treating them with contempt

[noblegiraffe]

The Police Federation of England and Wales have written a scorching letter to Boris Johnson and Priti Patel after they asked for some police officers who have been injured in the pandemic to be rounded up and sent to a drinks reception at Downing Street.

The letter complains about lack of PPE, lack of priority vaccination, the pay freeze, changing covid rules without consultation, confusing regulations, finding out information via newspaper columns and basically being treated with contempt by the government.

They say the relationship between government and the police has completely broken down and needs an urgent reset.

twitter.com/omz2468/status/1420034369725550592?s=21

The national headteachers' unions sent a very similar letter to Gavin Williamson and Johnson recently so I'm feeling a lot of solidarity with this message.

Bump.

Good for them. They have indeed been treated with contempt (school staff too).
It's something everyone should be concerned about (except the ultra rich who can afford private security and gated communities). If things go on the way they are, no-one decent is going to want to do the job.

They have been treated with contempt i agree but community relations between the police and the public are at an all time low thanks to over zealous Covid policing.

Boris is a massive cunt. We should all send a postcard to downing street saying so. Every day. Til the end of time. Cos no one seems able to fuck him off.

So that makes it ok to treat them like shit does it @MercyBooth?

NHS staff have been treated as heroes, had people doing performing seal impressions in their honour every week. The police have been expected to enforce ridiculous rules and end up looking like the bad guys. Yes, some were over zealous and that's why we've heard about them. What about the rest of them who've been risking their lives every day? Is it any wonder they've had enough?

BTW I'm not criticising the NHS frontline staff or saying they don't deserve a pay rise

The police are paid more than many other front line workers (often on minimum wage) who have suffered abuse/violence as a result of the pandemic. I don't mean that makes it OK to treat the police with contempt, but there's a long line of workers who deserve much more and I wouldn't personally put the police at the front of the queue.

They have been treated with contempt i agree but community relations between the police and the public are at an all time low thanks to over zealous Covid policing.

OH, yeah, there was that complaint in the DM - oh and a couple of others got in the news - so lets condemn the 123,000 police officers.
Wouldn't be so bad but the Gov set up ridiculous and changing Covid laws. Their job is to enforce the law - you want them to pick and choose which laws they enforce - that'll work well.

We have all been treated with contempt by this government, who never even tried properly to protect citizens . That heap of shit that was Serco test and trace was evidence enough - their priority was funnelling money to the private sector.

But yes front line workers, like the police, NHS, teachers, care workers - have been treated absolutely disgracefully.

That 3% pay rise, which will come in large part from existing NHS budgets, is not enough and the 0% for teachers and police is an absolute insult.

I absolutely hate Johnson's government and for anyone who intends to vote for them next time they get the chance - I am frustrated with them too!

mercy the police don't make the rules, they enforce them. That's their job. If the rules are badly thought out and written down, it's not surprising mistakes get made in applying them.
Blame the government for covid rules, not the police.

I lost a lot of respect for the police at the Sarah Everard vigil. Oh and the WA messages sent between the police when that happened. Oh and her being killed by a policeman.

@lannistunut

We have all been treated with contempt by this government, who never even tried properly to protect citizens . That heap of shit that was Serco test and trace was evidence enough - their priority was funnelling money to the private sector.

But yes front line workers, like the police, NHS, teachers, care workers - have been treated absolutely disgracefully.

That 3% pay rise, which will come in large part from existing NHS budgets, is not enough and the 0% for teachers and police is an absolute insult.

I absolutely hate Johnson's government and for anyone who intends to vote for them next time they get the chance - I am frustrated with them too!

Bravo!

the police don't make the rules, they enforce them. That's their job

Total and utter horseshit. They enforce the rules they like when they like if they like.

In theory the front line workers deserve huge pay rises but where does the money for that come from - have many major industries openened up in your area, are there loads of well paid jobs (so producing large tax returns for the Gov), increasing near you?
Where I live the well paid employed ARE the NHS, police and teachers, SS etc. There's virtually no private industry. The tax paid for by NHS, police and teachers etc is not going to fund the salaries of the same.
Majoriy of the UK tax is from the finance industry in London - there's been a pandemic and takings are down.
Just where do you think this money for the millions of service employees to come from.
There will be a load of posts saying rich people's tax avoidance but be realistic - rich people's businesses have also been affected by Covid (except for for Bill gates et al in the US).

I lost a lot of respect for the police at the Sarah Everard vigil. Oh and the WA messages sent between the police when that happened. Oh and her being killed by a policeman.

All 123,000?

@Weebleweeble These reasons are the ones always given to reduce TnC's, low or no pay rise, used by this government since 2010.

Yet when it comes to Trident, HS2 and any number of wars - the budget seems unlimited.
Oh not forgetting the stamp duty holiday, which benefited the better off, as house prices just increased in an already booming property market.

Huge increase in millioniares in the UK, we have more than any other country apart from us, japan, germany - that might indicate our tax system slightly favours the wealthy?

I lost respect for the police years ago. Racist profiling, treatment of the minors, kettling at otherwise peaceful protests, institutional racism and homophobia, the attitude towards Domestic violence on numerous occasions through my work and anecdotally the three police officers I know are all a bit problematic (1 makes misogynistic remarks constantly, 1 is anti vax, 1 is racist).
However, the treatment of them as a workforce over the pandemic has been appalling.

Just where do you think this money for the millions of service employees to come from.
Maybe the government could try paying the public service better, and letting them get on with their jobs as opposed to funnelling public money to their mates.
See the delivery of the vaccine by the NHS vs the test and trace by serco.
Annoyingly the vaccine is what is keeping the Tories in power.

I don't think you get a better quality workforce by treating them with contempt and I don't think you get a better service by cutting the workforce - since 2010 the conservatives have cut police numbers by about 20,000.

Yet when it comes to Trident, HS2 and any number of wars

So x million is given to trident - but wages are not a one off payment - it's every year thereafter the extra payment is made

The entry requirements and psychological evaluations of the UK aren't even keen enough to keep out morons, incels, sexual predators, and murderers. The starting salary is pretty generous. Their hardships aren't my biggest concern at the mo.
I've encountered many police officers, and 'know' five police officers. Two are excellent; one is probably an adequate police officer, but I wouldn't holiday with him (or even get into a lift with him, ideally); two should be behind bars.

UK police force

There is no money to pay for pay rises for any public sector workers. As a teacher who had no pay rises during George Osbourne's austerity I have a lot of sympathy for those front line workers who keep the country going in good times and pandemics but I have reservations about the police. Even in normal times they don't turn out for burglaries, car theft, domestic violence, and don't get me started about the fraud squad saying they were closed for Christmas when my son was the victim of identity theft. Oh and did i mention 'non crime hate incidents' that fantastic way to police sitting on your arse in front of a computer. Are there excellent police - yes but there are other public sector workers who deserve more sympathy and money.

There is no money to pay for pay rises for any public sector workers.

I don't think that the public is as resistant to a higher rate tax increase for improved public services as we are led to believe by a government who are generally in that bracket.

Even in normal times they don't turn out for burglaries, car theft, domestic violence

So you're saying that cutting police numbers by 20,000 was a mistake?

Apart from the vaccination paragraph (though understanding their feeling), 100% agree with their comments.

Ken Livingstone as London Mayor did a lot more for the police and policing, which I am sure Boris Johnson would not want to be compared with unfavourably.

Police number cuts should include cuts to PCSOs and support staff, i.e the whole cuts to the service. It's a lot more than 20,000.