Frontline officers tackling violent crime surge are at breaking point, says union
Last month, a report revealed a quarter of forces are failing to respond properly to 999 calls.
Mr Macleod said: “Policing is in crisis. We do not have the resources at the moment to meet the demands of the public.
“It’s really important that anybody has rest between their shift patterns because if that isn’t happening what you tend to find is people getting fatigued very easily.
“If rest days are being banked, it’s a dangerous situation for the public. It’s a dangerous situation for policing and it needs to be addressed.
“The Government needs to take this situation seriously because it’s quite clear the model is not working.
“Officers put their lives on the line for the public day after day.
“They need to listen, they need to listen quickly, because if they don’t we are on the brink of disaster.”
He added: “The conversation around mental health in policing has become greater in recent years.
“There is a recognition that police officers are human, that they can be broken and that their mental health is an issue.
“What we’re seeing is eight out of 10 officers, in a recent survey, have come back and said they are feeling symptoms of anxiety or depression.
“That is a very startling figure when you look at the number of police officers in the UK.
“They need to recuperate to provide the best possible service to the public. If officers aren’t feeling refreshed and having rest between their shift patterns, what you find is that the situation of their mental health is exacerbated.”
Mr Macleod’s broadside is the latest outburst in an increasingly bitter war of words between ministers and the Police Federation.
He said that all police appreciate that having rest days cancelled is an occupational hazard but “it seems it is increasingly becoming an operational necessity”.
Mr Macleod said: “The service is stretched to breaking point so any time there is an increased policing demand there is no slack to call on.
“When the proverbial hits the fan, you will hear politicians and police chiefs talking about ‘extra officers’ being on the streets.
“There are no extra officers, just normal police officers who have had their days off cancelled – again.”
He said that with crime increasing in volume and complexity, it is hardly surprising that the vast majority of members said they have experienced feelings of stress, low mood, anxiety, or other difficulties with health and wellbeing.
“We are a service in crisis. Police officers are in crisis,” he said. “Their mental health is suffering, their physical health is being affected.
“We do not have the resources to engage with the public, all we’re doing is firefighting, going from one call to the next call, dealing with one crisis after another. That cannot be allowed to continue.
“If we cannot engage with the public and gain intelligence from them, our policing model fails in this country.”
He added: “The Government is saying we need to do more for less. All that you get Calum Macleod: Police are on the ‘brink of disaster’ for less is less. Having your rest days messed about with may seem like a trivial thing to some. “But when you consider it as part of the bigger picture it is just one more straw on the camel’s back. “I just hope it’s not the one that finally breaks it.” Last week, Home Secretary Amber Rudd was accused of “dismantling the British police service” and “peddling deceit” about rising levels of violent crime. Ian Hanson, chairman of the Greater Manchester Police Federation, said Ms Rudd treated police and public with “utter contempt”. Ms Rudd has urged police leaders to focus on cutting crime instead of lobbying Government for more resources. The Home Office blueprint for cutting violence on Britain’s streets, published last week, made no reference to the impact of reduced officer numbers.
The huge number of rest days owed to officers was revealed by Freedom of Information requests.
The deficit is likely to be much greater as the country’s two biggest forces, the Metropolitan Police and West Midlands, did not provide comparable data.
A Home Office spokesman said: “Policing can be a very challenging job and it is the responsibility of chief officers – supported by the College of Policing – to ensure good management systems are in place to support officers in their work.
“Police forces have a statutory duty to manage the working time and welfare of officers and ensure they can take the leave and rest days to which they are entitled.”