Federation response to Liberal Democrats comment on police with criminal convictions'

11 March 2009

Responding to the FOI taken into officers with criminal convictions by the Liberal Democrats, Paul McKeever, Police Federation of England and Wales says;

“It is baffling that a political party claiming they want to restore public confidence could be so keen to conduct this type of headline-grabbing exposé. Not only do these figures serve to undermine confidence in policing by failing to appreciate the nature of these convictions but effectively ignore the thousands of successes achieved by the police each day.

“Are the Liberal Democrats effectively suggesting that a person caught and already punished for a minor offence should then be rejected from the police, even if they possess excellent credentials? Surely it should be that individual cases are dealt with at the discretion of Chief Officers, not by this type of ill conceived policy chomping?

“A party in the shadows would be more effectively employed creating dialogue with interested parties rather than undermining loyal public servants. Confidence is built by two way communication, not petty attempts to discredit.”

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