I mean if they bothered to actually ask us I know plenty of police officers that would do their bit on RD's

We shouldn't be undermining other services strike action by doing their job. It is a matter for the NHS to sort out and should not become a policing one. It is not the polices' job to drive ambulances or provide medical assistance in their place. We are putting ourselves at huge risk of being done over by the IOPC if someone dies when we are dealing with them, no matter how good our intentions. Let the NHS sort it, it is their problem.

It stinks of the awful police officers in the 1980s who used to wave wads of cash from overtime earned during the miners strike. By doing overtime we are undermining their strike action.

All well and good, but what is Steve Hartshorn's direction to his members if they are asked to provide this cover?

@Captainover I was on the coach when it drove past a group of striking miners, who were being paid out by a union rep. They waved pound notes at the police officers in our coach and a member of a card playing group waved back another five pound note. He admitted this later and received strong words of advice. This has now entered the urban myths as being a common practice of provoke miners, it was not so as there was a great deal of sympathy towards the plight of other working people.

Right – so bearing in mind that police officers are not used to driving ambulances, what happens if one is involved in a collision with another road user? What happens if a patient they are conveying to hospital, dies en route? The only organisation to profit from tragedies such as these would be the IOPC, who would experience a serious sexual disturbance. Discuss.

@Anthony Fair enough. My Dad worked in the North of England and told me a lot of the cops behaved in a disgusting manner. That said it was the 1980s and a lot has changed since then. I just don't think officers should be covering ambulances as we are undermining our colleagues cause by doing so. They are lucky enough to be able to strike and cops who are not should not be undermining them. It is clear what will happen here. The government will cave in at some point soon and they will get their huge pay rise (quite rightly) and we will be left with nothing as per usual.

Anyone who does this better have a very good lawyer as they may need them. The Fed have told everyone what they think so dont expect them to offer support and legal advice for an avoidable situation.

The head of the armed services came out almost immediately and criticised the government for using military personnel to backfill for striking NHS workers. He is absolutely right. Never, have senior police officers criticised a government for using police in the same way yet the police have been used more broadly and more often. It is not ever for the police to drive ambulances and/or administer injections…. And the only casualty conveyed to hospital in a police vehicle should be an injured police officer. Such rules were introduced decades ago with good reason, the government are circumventing perfectly sensible rules because they will not properly fund the NHS and other public institutions…

The police 'leadership' should be making it clear to the Government that police officers will not be used to fill in for strikers in roles that are not their responsibility and are not trained for. The overtime is great and it's a good laugh... until it all goes pear shaped and someone gets hurt and the fingers start getting pointed. The responsibility for the repercussions on the pubic of strike action, and any subsequent 'bad press' should be on the Government and the strikers and not deflected onto the 'we always make the job work' Police who shouldn't be being used at all.

I couldn't agree more. It's the old adage of a good deed doesn't go unpunished. Certainly not when the IOPC are at the controls. Cops are already broken.. why take on their work too. Perhaps letting people see how bad it gets without them might help to wake this awful government up.

Shouldn't be a major issue as most ambulances require a C1 licence and the majority don't have that, can't even drive carriers as they don't have D1.