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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Manchester police officers ordered to ditch red tape | Manchester police officers ordered to ditch red tape |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Greater Manchester's chief constable has written to his officers ordering them to ditch red tape and use their common sense instead. | Greater Manchester's chief constable has written to his officers ordering them to ditch red tape and use their common sense instead. |
| Peter Fahy said a culture had developed in which police officers followed a policy for its own sake, rather than using their own judgement. | Peter Fahy said a culture had developed in which police officers followed a policy for its own sake, rather than using their own judgement. |
| He said he wanted his officers to be driven by doing "the right thing". | He said he wanted his officers to be driven by doing "the right thing". |
| As the force is having to find savings, it could not justify the cost of unnecessary form filling, he added. | |
| Greater Manchester Police has previously said it needs to find savings of £134m in four years. | Greater Manchester Police has previously said it needs to find savings of £134m in four years. |
| In the letter, Mr Fahy said policies and procedures had been developed with good intentions but "sometimes in following the letter of a procedure we miss the spirit and intention behind it... pursuing a policy may mean overriding the wishes of the victim. | |
| "In an age of reduced funding and job losses we cannot justify spending time on activities that do not benefit the public." | |
| 'Home Office backing' | |
| In an interview with the BBC he cited the example of a fight in a school playground, which under current procedures could be recorded as a violent crime, with video interviews and files passed to social services. | |
| "You have to ask - is that what the victim wanted?" he said. | |
| "Would it have been better for the officer to talk to those involved instead and visit the school to talk to the head teacher?" | |
| Mr Fahy admitted some officers may be concerned about the plans but said "if officers have acted with integrity and clearly tried to do the right thing then the force will support them". | Mr Fahy admitted some officers may be concerned about the plans but said "if officers have acted with integrity and clearly tried to do the right thing then the force will support them". |
| He said he had received the backing of the Home Office. | He said he had received the backing of the Home Office. |
| The issue was one that affected other areas of the public sector, including the health service, social services and teaching, he added. | The issue was one that affected other areas of the public sector, including the health service, social services and teaching, he added. |