Policing ‘in intensive care’ as officers go

♦ Policing in England and Wales is “in intensive care”, with experienced officers leaving in droves, the chairman of the Police Federation is to warn.

Officers who risk their lives and face danger on a daily basis are often “unfairly punished” for their actions, living in fear of being “dragged through the courts” for doing their jobs, Steve White will say at its annual conference today.

“If change isn’t imminent, the public can expect both a less experienced workforce, as officers reach the end of their tether and choose to leave, and one that can no longer do all that is asked of it,” he will say, adding that the force is “at breaking point” as figures show that more than 2,700 officers left the service in the 12 months ending September 2016 – the largest drop for the past three years.