By Ben Kerrigan-
The West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Mark Burns-Williamson called for Mr Johnson to apologise. Mr Burns-Williamson said: “To use police officers as the backdrop to what became a political speech was inappropriate and they shouldn’t have been put in that position.
“It clearly turned into a rant about Brexit, the Opposition and a potential general election. There’s no way that police officers should’ve formed the backdrop to a speech of that nature. Williamson said he used the pretence of an announcement around police recruitment for mainly a political speech.”
The Prime Minister was accused of using the student officers as part of a “political stunt” when he made a speech that resulted in him criticising Jeremy Corbyn. The speech at West Yorkshire Police’s operations and training complex in Wakefield led to the prime minister making reference to his call for a general election as he criticised the Labour leader
Yvette Cooper, the chairwoman of the Commons Home Affairs Committee, also criticised Mr Johnson’s use of police officers as a backdrop. The Labour MP for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford, in West Yorkshire, said: “This is an abuse of power by Boris Johnson, making so many police stop their training and work to be part of his political stunt.
“They have a job to do here in West Yorks, and they train and work hard for the whole community – completely unacceptable to use them in this way.”
Labour’s shadow policing minister Louise Haigh has written to the Cabinet Office to ask how many officers had rest days cancelled or were taken away from their duties to attend the event, and whether the West Yorkshire force’s chief constable had been told the event would “stray beyond the police recruitment campaign when the request was made to supply officers”.
SURPRISED
John Apter, chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales said: “I am surprised that police officers were used as a backdrop for a political speech in this way.
“I am sure that on reflection all concerned will agree that this was the wrong decision and it is disappointing that the focus has been taken away from the recruitment of 20,000 officers. This is what we should be talking about, this is what is important.”
Craig Grandison, vice chairman of West Yorkshire Police Federation said : “Today’s event was supposed to be centred on police recruitment and additional investment in the service, which is much needed. We are in touch with the force regarding today’s events and will be making no further comment.”