Police 'drowning in red tape'

Apr 13 2007 By Jonathan Walker, Birmingham Mail

POLICE are spending more than a third of the day wrapped up in paperwork and bureaucracy, the Home Office has revealed.

Less than two thirds of the day is free for patrolling the streets and fighting crime.

Figures for the amount of time spent on front-line duties by police in the West Midlands were published by Home Office Minister Tony McNulty.

Forces have now been told to axe the red tape and ensure officers spend less time behind their desks.

It emerged last month that 130 officers quit West Midlands Police in 2006, and forces across the country lost a total of 2,714.

The Police Federation blamed mountains of paperwork which left officers "demoralised and disillusioned".

The new statistics reveal that officers working for West Midlands Police spend 62 per cent of their working time on front line duties. That means that in an eight-hour day, more than three hours is spent on other things. The force has been ordered to increase the amount of time spent actively fighting crime to 73 per cent this year.

Officers working for West Mercia Police spent 65 per cent of their time on the front line. The force has been set a target of 72 per cent for next year. In Warwickshire the figure is 66 per cent and in Staffordshire it is 67 per cent.

Conservatives claimed police were "swamped" in bureaucracy and red tape. Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said: "They are stuck behind their desks doing paper work, not out on the streets detecting and deterring crime."

Last month it emerged that almost seven per cent of West Midlands police officers were working reduced hours or lighter duties because of illness.

Some officers were employed for fewer than ten hours a week but continued to receive full pay.

A spokeswoman for West Midlands Police said: "West Midlands Police has a strong commitment to putting as many officers on the street as possible."

She added: "Compared with 2001, there are now 2,000 more officers policing local communities, assisted by over 400 additional police community support officers.

"It must be borne in mind that the Home Office figures do not include a range of police activities that require face-to-face interaction with the public such as public meetings and offering crime prevention advice."