NPCC and PFEW respond to leaked messages by former Health Secretary
The chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council says the language and use of the word ‘plod’ by Matt Hancock in leaked messages is “much more a reflection on him than it is on the committed police officers and staff on the frontline protecting the country from Covid-19”.
Martin Hewitt was responding to leaked WhatsApp exchanges from the former Health Secretary to a senior civil servant in 2020 revealing concerns over enforcement of Covid-19 regulations.
He said: “Messages from the former Health Secretary revealed last night seek to give an impression of direct pressure and control being exerted by ministers on policing action.
“My recollection is of robust discussions about difficult decisions where the operational independence of policing was robustly defended by myself and other chief officers, and that principle was supported by the then Home Secretary and Policing Minister.
“I look forward to the facts of these exchanges being fully exposed by the ongoing public inquiry.”
Mr Hewitt added: “Responding to the Covid-19 pandemic presented a unique challenge to policing in all parts of the UK and I am very proud of how we met the challenge. “Police officers and staff were on the frontline of responding to this virus, working tirelessly to serve communities and helping the NHS to save lives.
“It was clear from the outset that unprecedented laws and regulations would be required, and that legislation would be enacted and changed at pace.
“My determination from the outset was that policing would maintain its relationship with the public and our tradition of policing with consent. That is why we adopted the approach of engage, explain, encourage, and only as a last resort, enforce.
“We were equally determined to strictly maintain the principle of the operational independence of the chief constable.
“Throughout the pandemic, other chief officers and I worked extremely closely with Home Office officials and ministers.
“The principle of operational independence was understood, respected, and defended by those officials and ministers in numerous meetings.
The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) said the leaked messages show a “total lack of respect” for officers and described language used by ministers as an “absolute disgrace”.
PFEW national chair Steve Hartshorn said: “The leaked texts from Matt Hancock, if true, have revealed a total lack of respect for the police at the very heart of a government that clearly found it acceptable to use derogatory language and negative stereotyping when talking about policing.
“During the pandemic my colleagues were faced with legislative and legal changes on a weekly basis. They were expected to deal with protest and disorder at the height of Covid-19, yet were not prioritised for the vaccination, like other frontline workers.
“They faced abuse, assault and were spat at by people who said they had Covid – literally putting their lives and the lives of their families on the line.
“So, to discover that then government ministers referred to them as ‘plod’ who ‘got their marching orders’ is an absolute disgrace.”