Police sergeants wary of 'bully' tag

Police sergeants are wary of being branded bullys by challenging a subordinate's dress code and have little experience in preparing case files, a new report has discovered.

The review of 4,800 officers in England and Wales undertaken by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Police also found that 45 per cent of a police sergeant’s time is spent on paperwork, contrasting with just 10 per cent of time attending the scene of a crime or incident.

Tony McNulty, the police minister, stated: "Much work to reinforce the    support already given to sergeants is under way."

McNulty said: "We will look hard at the recommendations and I welcome their broad thrust.

"The hard work and commitment shown every day by the police service's sergeants is key to the delivery of frontline police services to the public."

Shadow home secretary Dominic Grieve criticised the government for adversely affecting the role of police officers through an "obsession with targets and red tape".

"As the report suggests, there is 'compelling need for improvement' but this can only happen if we empower officers.”

Jane Stichbury, one of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Constabulary and the review leader, said "we all know the amount of time taken up by emails. There has to be some bureaucracy. The challenge is to say 'What are people actually doing sitting plugged into a computer when they need to be outside?'"

And in the report, one chief superintendent explained: "The sergeants do not have the necessary fibre to challenge the constables.

"This is due to the culture of counter-bullying, where constables who are challenged take a grievance out against the sergeant who challenged them, stating they have been bullied in the workplace."