POLICE officers have been falling asleep on the job due to a lack of qualified staff, documents published last week reveal.
More than 160 officers may also have been driving after their eye tests had expired, according to minutes of Hounslow Police Senior Management Team's (SMT) meetings published by the Met last week.
Police chiefs discussed, at a meeting on April 21, how Level II officers - who are drafted in to deal with major demonstrations - were falling asleep after 'finishing late and coming back on duty too soon'.
They said there were only 72 officers with a suitable level of training, compared with 100 needed to do the job properly.
Peter Smyth, chairman of trade union the Metropolitan Police Federation, said shortages meant officers from forces across the capital were going back on duty within four hours of finishing their shifts.
He added the G20 demo had made it harder to attract new volunteers, who were desperately needed. Hounslow Police said it had made representations to increase the number of Level II officers, but had not been given permission.
Meanwhile, minutes from the previous month's meeting mention how up to 163 officers were driving with expired eyesight tests.
However, a police spokesman insisted the true figure was lower because computer records had not been updated and added the issue had since been addressed.
