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Daily Mail, Tuesday June 28 th 2005
By Ben Taylor, Crime Correspondent
Police chiefs were last night accused of turning officers into ‘bounty hunters' by setting them individual arrest quotas. ‘Points for pulls' schemes for beat and traffic officers mean that those who fail to meet monthly targets could face written warnings or even demotion.
At least three forces have introduced the schemes, which have been blamed for encouraging a target culture. The latest is being brought in by Richard Brunstrom, the North Wales Chief Constable known as the hard-line champion of speed cameras.
He wants his traffic officers to arrest at least eight motorists a month – or face an investigation. The scheme is part of a growing trend among forces to monitor officers' performances by setting weekly or monthly targets. Others to have adopted similar schemes include Thames Valley and Greater Manchester.
Mr Brunstrom expects his traffic officers to reach 200 points a month. The points on offer range from five for booking a standard speeding offence to 25 for arresting someone who fails a breath test. Effectively, the minimum number of arrests is eight.
Details of the scheme, which emerged in a leaked memo, caused anger last night among MPs, rank-and-file officer and safety campaigners. Critics fear that traffic offenders who may previously have received only a ticking off will face harsher punishment as officers chase points.
Elfyn Llwyd, Plaid Cymru MP for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy, said: “All the common sense and discretion successfully used by officers is going to go out of the window. In many cases the police use their judgement when they witness minor offences but with this new system that is not going to happen. Mr Brunstrom has particularly targeted drivers for conviction and this decision rubs salt into that wound. His policies have been extremely unpopular in North Wales. People are rightly going to be up in arms over a system of quotas for prosecutions.”
A spokesman for the Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, said: “There are better ways to judge an officer's ability. We are going to monitor it to see what it entails and whether it will have any adverse effects. The last thing we want is for officers to report people to maintain figures. It also doesn't take into account work that can be time-consuming.”
The North Wales force had originally denied that a sliding scale for arrests existed. But a memo leaked to the local Daily Post newspaper said the scheme would be introduced on Thursday in the force's eastern division. The points have been described as ‘weighted performance indicators.' The memo says that officers unable to account for poor performance will be subject to an ‘action plan' and helped to reach the standard. It then hints at disciplinary action if that standard if that standard is not met.
Other points awarded include ten for catching someone for careless or dangerous driving, 25 for detaining a disqualified driver and the same for a drugs arrest. Drivers who use a mobile phone at the wheel may also be targeted – at five points a time. Officers who deal with alleged ‘road-rage' offences will also be awarded points.
Officially, the scheme is aimed at reducing anti-social driving, traffic crime and road casualties.
A force spokesman said: “It's not a league table, it's a way of trying to ensure officers are doing what we consider to be a priority. It gives due credit to officers doing more complex work. It's a way of trying to monitor performance and the scheme will be reviewed after six months.”
The force would not rule out the possibility that the system could be expanded force-wide but said that no ‘bonuses' would be paid to officers who exceed their monthly quota.
Tony Vickers, of the Association of British Drivers, said: “It's outrageous to impose quotas on police officers to nab a certain number of drivers for road offences. Mr Brunstrom is turning his traffic police into bounty hunters. This will lead to trivial prosecutions, and in the end will waste money and resources.”
Two months ago, it emerged that a similar system has been piloted in Thames Valley. Officers have been given cards listing the ‘value' of certain offences and told to aim for 200 points a month. While arresting a rapist or burglar is worth ten, five can be earned simply by stopping a driver for not wearing a seatbelt or for using a mobile phone.
In May, it was revealed that beat bobbies in Greater Manchester were told that they must arrest or caution at least on offender per week.
Both the Home Office spokesman said last night: “It is down to the discretion of the chief constable.”
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