Devon and Cornwall officers stuck behind desks, Police Federation says

Devon and Cornwall Police said officers were moved to the control room during peak times

Police officers in Devon and Cornwall are spending too much time on administration work due to a lack of civilian staff, a police body has said.

The Police Federation said front-line officers were having to answer non-emergency 101 calls or respond to emails from the public.

It has called on the force to recruit more civilian staff.

Devon and Cornwall Police said officers took on the tasks during times of peak demand.

Deputy Chief Constable Julie Fielding said: "Whilst we plan ahead, there will be times of peak demand when we need to move our staff to meet calls for service, including in our control room which is a key part of our front-line service to communities.

"This can and does include police officers in order to allow us to develop new ways of working, focused on delivering the best service to the public."

Analysis by BBC Spotlight correspondent Ben Woolvin

The police federation says these officers are being diverted to the contact centres and to the gun licencing department, and we know these are both places where there is official concern about police performance.

In October the Devon and Cornwall force was put under enhanced monitoring by the police inspectorate - a form of special measures - in part because of concern it was not answering calls quickly enough.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct said in September it had started an investigation into whether the force had potentially broken health and safety law in the running of its gun licencing unit before the mass shooting in Plymouth last August.

Those are the two things the police commissioner is referring to when she says she is "not opposed to an 'all hands on deck' approach if public safety is at risk".

As in so many sectors at the moment, this is also partly about recruitment.

The force has told us there are currently 36 vacancies for police staff across Devon, Cornwall and Dorset. Filling those vacancies could go a long way to addressing the Police Federation's concerns.

Andy Berry, chair of Devon & Cornwall Police Federation, said police officers were routinely performing back office tasks

But Andy Berry, from the Devon and Cornwall Police Federation, said the force needed to recruit more civilian staff.

"If you've got a set number of people, the more people you put in the back office, the less people you've got to deal with attending calls, the less people you've got to deal with investigating crimes," he said.

"We know this is a force that is struggling to do it all at the moment."

Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez said: "I am not opposed to a team ethic of 'all hands to deck' approach, especially if public safety is at risk.

"Generally though, officers should be out in our communities, tackling crime head on and offering support for victims, not behind desks."

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