Coun Paul Bellenger: Is our modern day policing fit for purpose?

By Greetland & Stainland Ward Councillor Paul Bellenger and Liberal Democrat Group Leader:

Its great to see that over the past 30 years discrimination in the police force has been stamped on and that anybody from whatever background, ethnicity and sexuality can now become a police officer. Unfortunately, this has come at a price.

The days have gone when police officers were predominantly male and had to be of a certain height. Being a certain height and build had its advantages especially when reading the riot act to would-be young criminals or even having to arrest some drunken brute who may have been hell bent on using their fists. Criminals thought twice about taking on someone who was much bigger than them. It was very rare to see someone being cheeky to a police officer and even rarer for someone to abuse a police officer, however the methods of policing back in those days would certainly not pass today’s standards of policing, but they did work, and police officers were respected and feared, unlike today.

Over the past 30 years we have seen a new breed of police officer protecting us from crime and disorder with younger, smaller, gender and ethnically diverse police officers. Unfortunately, they are an easier target by those who have no respect for our police officers or the law. Assaults on police officers have risen at an alarming rate over the years, whilst crime itself has reduced.

There were a staggering 41,221 assaults on police officers in England and Wales in 2022, with the West Yorkshire force coming in at the third highest with 2,176 assaults.

I would like to see respect restored for our officers of the law and the police officer feared if they came knocking on your door or stopping you in the street, but this is probably never going to happen as once faith in something has gone it is hard to bring it back.

Maybe it’s time our justice system was changed and that assaults on emergency workers carried a harsher sentence; the current threat of two years obviously is not working. Plus, being released from prison much sooner for good behaviour makes the sentence more of a long holiday rather than being incarcerated.

Personally, I think the whole system is no longer fit for today’s society. We have recently seen droves of criminals being released from prison early, many I am sure will go on to re-offend, knowing full well that our prisons are full and the system would rather educate them than incarcerate them.

The emergency workers are back to square one, dealing with a criminal who may have already assaulted them with little or nothing discouraging them from doing it again.

I have great respect for anyone who puts themselves at risk to protect others and make our streets a safer place to live, work and raise our families. Changes need to be made to support them more and prisons need to be prisons and not a place to have a hot meal and a roof over your head with all the entertainment luxuries you would have at home.