Force is on its knees, says Staffordshire Police officer in Question Time audience

A Staffordshire police officer has spoken out on the BBC's Question Time programme about a lack of funding and support for the local force.

The police officer was in the audience when the programme was filmed at Newcastle College on Thursday (23rd March) and made her comments during a discussion of Baroness Casey's review of conduct within the Metropolitan Police.

However, the audience member chose to focus on Staffordshire Police while taking aim at the government for not doing enough to ensure resources are available to deal with crimes being reported.

She told Question Time host the police weren't invested in and said the force is on its knees.

She said: "I've been a serving police officer to 17 years here in Staffordshire.

"We're not invested in, it's like we're forgotten about – I can't begin to tell you what a state the police are in.

A Staffordshire Police officer in the audience spoke about a lack of funding and resources for local police (BBC).

"We can't cope with demand, we're on our knees and we're not in a position to be able to go on strike like other public sector workers."

"It's heart wrenching to think the vast majority of police officers out there – who are decent, hardworking people – what they want to do is serve the public and we can't, our hands are tied.

"I don't think ministers know what an actual state we're in."

Staffordshire police, fire and crime commissioner Ben Adams said: "When I was elected as commissioner two years ago, it was clear that Staffordshire Police had been under tremendous pressure during the pandemic but there was great passion from all officers and staff to do the very best job for the community.

"To allow them to do this, an additional £20.8m has been invested in the last two years, ensuring all frontline officers have the equipment they need.

"With the help of government and council tax payers, there will be 400 more officers by this time next year compared with 2019.

"This is helping the force to meet the unprecedented increase in demand for service.

Staffordshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner said that over £20m has been invested in the past two years (Staffordshire Police).

"I also recruited a new chief constable who had helped a force to overcome similar challenges to those faced here in Staffordshire and Stoke-on Trent.

"He has introduced a new local policing model with a fully resourced response capability to allow for dedicated neighbourhood policing to meet community needs.

"With continued investment, the ever-improving morale and determination of officers and staff, Staffordshire Police is on a rapid course to be an outstanding force again."

Deputy chief constable Emma Barnett said: "Like every police force up and down the country, we have seen an exponential increase in demand in recent years but we have proactively been making significant changes to address demand issues to ensure we are offering the very best service to our communities.

"We have launched a new local policing model – which puts police officers back in the heart of our communities – to ensure our service is more responsive and tailored to the needs of specific communities.

Deputy Chief Constable, Emma Barnett, was recently awarded a medal in New Year's Honours (Staffordshire Police).

"We have also invested in our contact centre so we are able to identify and assess vulnerability at the first point of contact and prioritise our service to support the most vulnerable people.

"To further ensure those who contact the police are getting the right care from the right people, we are working with other agencies to assess who is best placed to deal with certain things we are called about.

"We have also restructured our Public Protection Unit so it is better equipped to carry out effective investigations and provide victims with the support they need.

"We are making progress, but there is still work to do. We listen to our staff and recognise the difficult job they do every day.

"We have support in place to look after their wellbeing as it is vitally important to us. Policing is a difficult job, but we have some amazing people who really care and want to drive these improvements to help keep you safe."

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