“It is extremely alarming that this government seems intent on diluting the policing resilience in this country by handing out traditional policing powers to civilian staff.

“The Federation has concern about the presence of an ill-equipped and poorly trained second layer of law enforcement for not only does it cause members of the public confusion over who has what powers, but undermines the special covenant between the police and the public who rightly expect policing functions to be performed by fully trained, independent and accountable officers of the crown.

“These increased powers come with no tangible evidence given that civilian support actually has a positive impact on crime prevention or public confidence. It is therefore premature to be giving civilians more policing powers and another sign this government is intent on civilianising the police.”