Taser training for sergeants: time for a re-think

10 January 2022

I hope everyone had a good Christmas and New Year and is looking forward to taking on the challenges of the next 12 months.

One of the branch’s key priorities for 2022 is keeping up the pressure on the Force to ensure as many officers as possible have the opportunity to carry Taser and, within this, to reverse the recent decision to stop funding Taser refresher courses and conversion training for newly-promoted sergeants.

Not one person I have spoken to about it can understand the thinking behind this position. The suggestion that cost considerations come ahead of our safety is, quite frankly, an insult.

We all know that violent crime is on the rise across the West Midlands and that attacks on colleagues are becoming more and more commonplace - just look at the figures from the Christmas period - so the potential consequences of this decision are blindingly obvious.

And that is why we will keep pushing the Force until it recognises the common sense of our position and changes its mind before an officer or member of the public gets seriously hurt as a result of this ill-advised policy.

No one should have to go on duty worrying about being assaulted but unfortunately it is happening all too often and our members deserve to be properly protected as they go about their jobs.

We are also keeping a very close eye on what direction policing across our region will take in the coming months and if it is yet again guided by budgetary decisions that make little sense to the officers risking their lives on the frontline every day.

Like our Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster, West Midlands Police Federation wants to see a return to local control and ownership of policing with the obvious benefits that brings to the communities we serve in terms of a preventative, visible and accountable approach.

We welcome his support on this but it will not just happen by chance and, as things stand, it is difficult to see how we can help achieve this goal while police stations are being closed and experienced bobbies are either leaving the Force over pay and pensions frustrations or being shifted sideways into FCID and PPU due to the massive burden they are under with investigations, often from months ago.

These are all areas we will be working on as the New Year progresses.

So it is shaping up to be another busy 12 months but I am sure that with your continued support we can carry on making great progress as a Police Federation and, most importantly, make sure your voices are being heard loud, clear and acted on!

I will end by once again wishing you and your loved ones a Happy New Year, reminding you that West Midlands Police Federation is always here for you, and urging you all to stay safe.