Metropolitan Police Federation

Just one Saturday last month reminded me, once again, why policing matters and what officers do to keep the public safe.

As the smoke from the arson attacks cleared and the glaziers moved in to repair the shop fronts shattered by looters, the media worked overtime reporting claim and counter claim as to who was responsible for bringing the riots under control - politicians or senior police officers?Hardly heard were the voices of the ordinary officers involved in combating the rioters, either in the front line or in support roles, who suffered all kinds of tribulations and made endless sacrifices throughout the disturbances and afterwards.

No fewer than 2,469 of the officers of the 8,500-plus who responded to the survey said they had worked continually for at least a fortnight without a day off.

The long hours worked during Operation Kirkin resulted in high levels of stress and fatigue among officers, although there was a marked reluctance to report these to management.

The survey highlighted shortcomings in various pieces of equipment, even those which are greatly liked by officers.

The reluctance to report stress and fatigue issues during Kirkin was mirrored by a widespread failure to report injuries, equipment faults and near misses, the survey has revealed.

Some of the vehicles used during Kirkin drove officers to despair.

There were strong feelings among officers over deficiencies in the catering arrangements during Kirkin.

The MPS reviews public order deployments.

When the new Commissioner announced that he wanted to see a wider roll-out of Taser, possibly to include all response vehicles, it drew howls of protest from the usual quarters.