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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| One in 10 police 'on sick leave or restricted duties' | One in 10 police 'on sick leave or restricted duties' |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Nearly one in 10 police officers in England and Wales is on sick leave or restricted duties, the Times reports. | |
| The newspaper says about 2,000 officers are off sick while 9,500 are on restricted duties, of whom 6,086 have long-term health issues. | |
| It adds that the totals are up by 20% on four years ago. | |
| But the Metropolitan Police Federation says those who should retire due to ill health cannot as rules only allow six per thousand to leave in this way. | |
| The Times says its figures were compiled from Freedom of Information requests to all 43 forces in England and Wales. | |
| In Warwickshire, nearly one in seven officers is on sick leave or restricted duty but in Cambridgeshire the figure is one in 24. | In Warwickshire, nearly one in seven officers is on sick leave or restricted duty but in Cambridgeshire the figure is one in 24. |
| 'Appalling' | |
| The paper says 9,500 police officers are on restricted duty. Of those 3,492 have been on sick leave and are being gradually reintroduced to full duties. | |
| All 9,500 get their full salaries while completing paperwork or answering phone calls - sometimes for just a few hours a week. | All 9,500 get their full salaries while completing paperwork or answering phone calls - sometimes for just a few hours a week. |
| Metropolitan Police Federation chairman Peter Smyth said there was a widespread misunderstanding about the nature of restrictive duties which the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) and Home Office had failed to correct. | |
| He said: "The term covers many scenarios - for example an officer whose hearing has been damaged may no longer be able to carry a firearm or wear a surveillance earpiece but can carry out the full duties of a front-line officer. | |
| "Likewise an officer with diabetes may not be able to drive response cars but can still perform the full role of a patrol officer." | |
| He added: "The continued refusal of the Association of Chief Police Officers to correct misleading stories about the men and women they are supposed to lead is appalling. | |
| "Officers who should retire because of ill health are not being allowed to do so. Why? Because Acpo promoted a policy under which no more than six officers per thousand can leave the service in this way." | |
| Chief Constable Peter Fahy, who speaks for Acpo, said police chiefs wanted to be fair by those officers injured on duty or suffering stress-related problems. | |
| But he added: "During hard economic times, the number of officers on restricted duties is a real concern and we have asked the Home Office review to deal with this matter. | |
| "Previously there was concern about the number of officers getting medical pensions and, as a result, officers have been kept in office positions. This cannot be a long-term solution." | |
| The Home Office said decisions on sick leave and restricted duties were made by individual chief constables. | The Home Office said decisions on sick leave and restricted duties were made by individual chief constables. |