West Midlands police endure ‘disgraceful’ conditions for Trump visit

The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for the West Midlands, David Jamieson, has described the accommodation offered to West Midlands police officers in London policing the visit of US president Donald Trump as “disgraceful”.

Jamieson said:”The conditions some West Midlands police officers are being forced to endure is an absolute disgrace. No officer should be made to sleep on a camp bed, inches from the floor in a sports hall with scores of colleagues after a 12 hour shift. Some female officers are even having to sleep in squash courts.”

Some 400 officers from the West Midlands have been drafted into London to help with maintaining public order during Trump’s visit, an issue that according to the PCC will put the force “under a significant amount of pressure”.

Steve Grange, the secretary of the Police Federation in the West Midlands, echoed Jamieson’s concerns and added:”Officers have been deployed to another part of the country to assist with a major operation and will be working long and tiring shifts. They should expect to receive accommodation that is fit for purpose, enabling them to get the rest period they need before being deployed again. This accommodation is disgraceful and an insult to the officers.”

The PCC blamed government cuts for the problem and said: “Forces up and down the country have struggled with cuts for years. My fear is that local police forces have taken the decision to put some of our officers up in this way because the government are not stepping forward to pick up the tab for accommodation.”

Jamieson went on to say: “Not so long ago the force had 2,100 officers which meant we had the capacity to manage when called on to police national events. Sadly the cuts mean the thin blue line is thiner than ever.”

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