THE chairman of the West Yorkshire Police Federation has claimed officers are being made "scapegoats for poor policy and law writing". 

Brian Booth spoke of the challenges the third lockdown is bringing to policing and the reality of what officers are facing.

He said police officers are "between a rock and a hard place" with a "public which have polar opinions in regard to the Covid regulations".

"On one side you have those who think the regulations should not apply to them and will seek every opportunity twist the rules to suit their personal benefit, then you have those who are crying out for a strong enforcement line, because they are in fear of Covid spreading," said Mr Booth.

“Walking a tightrope between maintaining public confidence and upholding the law is not made easy with poor guidance.

“At the end of the first lockdown I highlighted the difficulties officers were facing when it came down to trying to help police the pandemic with such woolly laws - roll on six months and we are still in the same position.

“Police officers are being made scapegoats for poor policy and law writing. Make it clear for the public, for example - If it is desired that exercise be limited to local, then clearly state in law what local is.

“Do not insert it into guidance that has no legal standing.

“The NHS is in crisis, my colleagues have a part to play in protecting the NHS and upholding law. Please have a review of what you expect and don’t keep leaving my colleagues hung out to dry.”

In a statement issued last week, Tim Kingsman, co-Chair of West Yorkshire Prepared and Assistant Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police, said: “Despite the National Restrictions being introduced this week, there are still people flouting the rules and leaving their homes for non-essential reasons.

"Absolutely nobody wants this situation to continue longer than it has to, but that means everyone must pull together.

“West Yorkshire Police will continue to adopt the approach of Encourage, Explain and Engage but we will Enforce where people are flagrantly, blatantly and repeatedly breaking the rules. It is absolutely vital that everyone pulls in the same direction and acts now to prevent the situation worsening further.”

In response to Mr Booth's comments, Home Secretary, Priti Patel said: “Our police officers are working tirelessly to keep us safe. Not only are they continuing to take criminals off our streets, but they are also playing a crucial role in controlling the spread of the virus.

“The vast majority of the public have supported this huge national effort and followed the rules.

“But the tragic number of new cases and deaths this week shows there is still a need for strong enforcement where people are clearly breaking these rules to ensure we safeguard our country’s recovery from this deadly virus.

“Enforcing these rules saves lives. It is as simple as that. Officers will continue to engage with the public across the country and will not hesitate to take action when necessary.”