Greater Manchester Police Federation backs calls for cops to get new powers to charge suspects

The Greater Manchester Police Federation has given his “full support” to Chief Constable Steve Watson in calls for police officers to have the power to charge suspects.

Mike Peake, Chair of the Greater Manchester Federation, said the Crown Prosecution Service no longer had the “capability of making necessary quick time decisions” as a result of huge funding cuts.

Mr Peake added that the current delays are having a “negative impact on officers workloads” as forces across the country are already battling a backlog of administration.

READ MORE: Off-duty cop had to 'hold man's face together' after he was slashed as tit-for-tat gang turf war reached bloody climax

He explained: “The CPS, which is another public sector organisation seemingly under great pressure, hasn’t got the capability of making necessary quick time decisions that could take criminals off our streets. The current delays are having a negative impact on officers’ workloads, as they have a requirement to continue to monitor and complete ongoing tasks as investigations remain live.”

The controversial change would mean that officers were given the ability to charge suspects for crimes including domestic abuse, harassment, burglary, robbery, theft, knife crime and violent crime. Chairs of local federations in West Midlands and West Yorkshire have also joined in backing the calls, in the hope it would mutually benefit both parties by freeing up resources.

Chair of West Yorkshire Police Federation Craig Nicolls said he hoped the move would allow CPS to “do what they should be doing - prosecuting, not administration” and that giving police these powers was an “inevitable step” due to lack of proper funding. This follows the appeal from Greater Manchester Police