Page 23 - Top Cover Issue 6

TOP COVER ISSUE 6 23

ARmED pOlICING SuRVEy - yOuR VIEWS!

and provide these to the independent one. That is not my intention and like the their best interests at heart. The majority
investigator. These basic facts should be officers I have the privilege of working felt that there is little understanding
sufficient to confirm who was at the scene, with in the armed policing community, from their organisation on the effect
their role and whether they discharged I recognise and support the need for an that being a firearms officer has on your
their firearm. Stage Three – subject to open and thorough investigation. But family and personal life. Less than half of
legal and medical advice, the officers something is going wrong somewhere - respondents would still become firearms
should provide a personal initial account how can it be right that an officer (E7) is officers if they were asked again. They feel
of the incident before going off duty. still waiting to see if he will face criminal that their senior leaders and forces are not
Stage Four – detailed evidential charges 9 years after the fatal shooting of prepared to defend their welfare and that
statements, these should not normally be Azelle Rodney? This cannot be right for of their families at such a traumatic time.
obtained immediately and is best done the officer and his family and it is certainly One respondent said, “I think senior
after 48 hours have elapsed. not right for Azelle Rodney’s family and management, government and the public
The APP is clear that officers should friends. need a reminder that firearms officers do
not confer with others before making Firearms officers face unique pressures. this voluntarily...”
their notes, this includes their initial and They are volunteers who are selected and Another said, “Officers volunteer for this
subsequent accounts and in practice trained to use lethal force on behalf of the role and do not get paid any more for it.
the Post Incident Manager will provide State. When they do so it is in everyone’s We do the role because we want to use
the officers with a “conferring warning”. interests to ensure that the post incident our skills to help others. But the way we
The reasons that detailed accounts are process is balanced and fair and is a search are looked at and portrayed by the media
discouraged until at least 48 hours have for the truth, achieving the best evidence and by our own command does make
elapsed is because a person involved and not crafted solely to manage public you question whether putting yourself
in a traumatic or life threatening perception. Public confidence in the and your family through all the negative
encounter will often experience a range system is of course paramount, but points is worth it”.
of physiological and psychological public confidence should be founded on On the relationship between firearms
responses which may determine their establishing and revealing the truth, not officers and the public, over a third feel
perception of time, auditory and visual on being seen to be tough. that the public do not respect them. One
stimuli and chronology of key events. As I said earlier ACPO is preparing a respondent said “The public have the
Best evidence is achieved when these response to the IPCC consultation. In the right to understand when we get it wrong
physiological and psychological effects meantime it was decided to see what and we must have the moral courage to
have reduced. firearms officers themselves think and accept this, they and we also deserve to
On this last point I am often asked why an extensive survey has been conducted understand when we get it right. Perhaps
we treat police witnesses differently, for to reveal their attitudes to being an we need to consider public engagement
example a member of the public who armed officer, the current post incident to explain to the public about what we
witnesses an traumatic event might be procedure, the IPCC proposals and issues do, why we do it. The statement of mission
asked to provide a statement straight such as Body Worn Cameras. The survey and values, the core of the National
away. In reality, public witnesses are was coordinated through the PFOA and Decision Model roughly translated in
often not statemented straight away as resulted in an unusually high response layman’s terms is to do what your mum
a result of the trauma they are suffering. rate indicating the strength of feeling and your chief constable want you to do.
Furthermore firearms officers who have about some of these issues. Around a Tell the public, they will listen and they
used lethal force might be witnesses but third of firearms officers in England and will understand”.
expert lawyers will forensically examine Wales responded and the results make On Body Worn Cameras, the majority
their split second decision making, under uncomfortable reading. agree to some extent that they would be
the most intense pressure, in slow time On a positive note a very high percentage happy to wear cameras, however a large
over a number of years. The perspective of firearms officers reported that they group strongly disagreed with their use,
of police officers who volunteer for the feel proud to be an Authorised Firearms concerns were expressed that the footage
most dangerous and difficult role in Officer, they also feel confident carrying will not provide a true representation of
policing is ignored through the lens of a firearm and in their training and own events and could make the situation seem
unreasonable hindsight. Despite their ability. They reported that they sometimes “very black and white” failing to portray
status as witnesses, they are now subject fear for their personal safety. I was internal feelings and justification for their
to an Article 2 investigation and this also surprised it was only sometimes bearing actions. One officer said “In my opinion
places them in jeopardy, unlike the public in mind the types of situations they face, this would lead to the officer’s justification
witness. although their confidence in their training for use of force and what they perceived as
I recognise that in writing this article I and ability might explain this. a threat to be almost disregarded entirely
could come across as defensive of the The survey also revealed that morale is in favour of what is seen in a non-stressful
officers and insensitive to the needs of low amongst firearms officers with only situation on a television screen”.
bereaved families who have lost a loved 4% feeling that the police service has On the media, the majority of respondents