1 in 7 Kirklees cops on desk duty because of illness - double the national average

Jan 21 2010 by Sam Casey, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

MORE than one in seven Kirklees police officers were unable to perform full duties last year because of illness.

Seventy-one of the division’s 449 officers were placed on what are known as recuperative or restricted duties – handling paperwork and interviewing witnesses.

The figure was higher than the average across West Yorkshire, where 574 out of 5,844 officers – roughly one in 10 – were on restricted or recuperative duties last year.

And it was more than double a reported 7% of officers nationally who could not carry out full duties.

But Dave Knopwood, superintendent for Kirklees police, claimed frontline policing in the division did not suffer as a result.

He said: “There is an acceptance that in any organisation, on occasion, there will be times when people have to be placed on restricted or recuperative duties. This could be down to a number of reasons, such as pregnancy or being injured while on duty.

“Just because someone is on restricted duties does not mean they are prevented from contributing to a top quality service.”

Restricted duties apply to officers who have a medical condition which limits their ability to fulfil part of their role for at least 12 months, or those with a maternity-related restriction.

Sixty-six of the 71 officers who were unable to perform their full roles in Kirklees last year were on restricted duties.

A spokeswoman for West Yorkshire Police’s personnel department said restricted duties were not always permanent.

“Reviews of each officer are carried out, at least annually, in order to assess if the nature of the officer’s condition has changed,” she said.