CUMBRIA Police Federation has criticised the Independent Office for Police Conduct's (IOPC) slow investigations into officers and believes it can cause 'permanent scars'.
Chairman Paul Williams said police officers have no issue with being held to account for their actions, but the time it takes to conduct and conclude IOPC investigations was unacceptable.
He argues: "The IOPC holds policing to account so in turn should be held to account themselves and realisation of the amount of pressure officers are put under for such a long time when the vast majority of the time they have done nothing wrong - I want the IOPC to understand this leaves permanent scars and serious mental detriment to officers undergoing such an ordeal.
"It’s not acceptable to do this to those who are putting themselves on the line making split second decision making to then suffers months and sometimes years of scrutiny."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here