Operation Safeguard Update

Fed Slams Government's Operation Safeguard Proposals

Responding to the announcement today by the Home Secretary that Operation Safeguard will be instigated from Thursday 12th October, Alan Gordon, vice-chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, says:

“We have grave fears about the practical implications for policing following the Home Secretary’s announcement to house prisoners in police cells. Not least because the resilience of the service is already stretched to breaking point but being a full time jailer requires a completely different set of skills and training to that of being a police officer.

“It’s ironic that the government look to police officers to bail them out of the mess they have created, yet fail to show their appreciation by honouring our pay deal this year. However, the bottom line is that we’ll pull out all the stops to make this work; that’s the nature of police officers – we get things done. The real problem is that police cells are not intended to house prisoners’ long term and are not fit for purpose. Over the last few years modernisation plans have seen many custody suites merge or close down, so cells that may now be needed are being used for other functions. This is not a solution to the real problem and is just a quick fix.

“It’s nothing new that prisons are getting full; this is a constant problem. The government need to tackle this – if we need more prisons then let’s build them. We should never find ourselves in the situation where capacity dictates sentences.”

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