Northumbria officers have ‘untenable workload’

OFFICERS in Northumbria are carrying an “untenable” workload and they, and their supervisors, are having to make difficult decisions about which crimes they can actually investigate, the Force’s Federation has warned.

The force has lost 900 officers since 2010 and crime levels continue to rise nationally, meaning Northumbria Police is under more pressure than ever, according to Jim Gray, Chairman of the Force’s Police Federation.

Jim said: “The context is that Northumbria Police used to fully investigate every reported crime . That is no longer an option and officers are left frustrated that criminals will not be brought to justice, ultimately due to the real impacts of savage cuts to our Service.

“This is crushing for our members. They became Police Officers to serve the public. They sincerely want to do a good job and ensure justice is achieved for people, but they now carry such a huge workload; their stress levels are at unacceptable levels. But the demands are seemingly ever-increasing.”

Jim also commented upon the reduction of detective posts and the impact that has had upon workloads within investigatory Departments, “Detectives are literally looking at a huge queue of complex crimes to investigate and that has a real impact upon their levels of personal morale and stress, as well as frustration that they simply can’t provide the platinum service they once did for every reported crime.”

Jim was speaking after the Police Federation of England and Wales described a “national crisis for investigative policing”.

Karen Stephens, national Federation lead for detectives, said: “The whole service is at breaking point with huge resilience and retention issues across the board. It’s all hands on deck and everyone is prepared to share the load but the result is a diluted service with officers who are tired, stressed and frustrated with the knock-on effect this is having on the public – the reason why we all do the job in the first place.”