Federation October/November 2019
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Chris Fairhurst 2nd Floor, Commercial Wharf, 6 Commercial Street, Manchester M15 4PZ Partner www.mcalisterfamilylaw.co.uk 0333 202 6433 MFL A4 Police Divorce Advert.indd 1 15/11/2018 15:07 Welcome What’s inside Welcome to the October/November 2019 edition of federation - the 04 Secretary’s introduction 17 Federation issues new magazine for members of West 05 Driver who ran over PC is jailed statement on pensions Midlands Police Federation. We are always on the look-out for 05 PC injured in ‘hit and run’ 17 Supporting you good news stories so please get in touch if you have something to share 06 Force allocated 366 new with colleagues. It does not have to recruits 18 relate to your policing role – though we are definitely interested in hearing 08 Police drivers’ training to be about what’s going on around the recognised in law Force. Do you have an interesting hobby or perhaps you are involved in 09 Government set to launch two- sport locally, as a player, a manager, a year review of roads policing coach? Just get in touch and let us know. 10 Nick honoured at detective award ceremony We would also be interested to hear Prince of Wales honours what you would like to see featured in 11 Kelly praised for outstanding your magazine. fallen officers at annual work in child protection memorial service Cover photo: DC Nick Mills (right) won the 11 ‘I was just doing my job to the Services to Detectives Award at this year’s Police Federation National Detectives’ Forum best of my ability’ 20 Safety must be priority, awards ceremony. See Page 10. Photograph custody seminar told courtesy of Anderson Photography. 12 21 Praise for officers as custody Published by: deaths at zero XPR (UK) Ltd Editor: 22 Low morale, stress and John Williams, acting chair demand taking their toll Deputy editor: Chris Cooper, 24 Federation welcomes new Member services team leader [email protected] menopause guide Design and sub-editing: XPR (UK) Ltd 26 Putting wellbeing to the fore Contact us: Marathon efforts for ACC 27 Care on Demand Guardians House, 2111 Coventry Road, Sheldon, Birmingham, 13 ‘This gives me strength’ B26 3EA 13 ACC’s wife ‘overwhelmed’ 28 Telephone: 0121 752 4900 15 Cake sale helps raise £1,000 for Email: [email protected] hospice www.polfed.org/westmids £10 million funding Struggling with your finances? Federation is printed by XPR (UK) Ltd on behalf of West Midlands Police Federation. boost for Taser roll-out Let PayPlan help you... The articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the Branch Council. The editor reserves the right to reject or edit any material 29 A debt adviser who knows submitted. what it’s like to be in financial Every care is taken to ensure that advertisements are accepted only from bona difficulty fide advertisers. The Police Federation cannot accept liability for losses incurred by any 31 Offering tailored solutions person as a result of a default on the part of an 16 advertiser. 33 Approaching retirement? All material is copyright and may not be reproduced without the express permission of the editor. Advertisers 02 McAlister, family law 33 Gorvins, police and family law 14 George Burows, financial health check 34 Slater & Gordon, family law 30 Police Insure, motor, home and 35 NARPO, member services motorcycle insurance 35 Warren & Co, independent 32 Irwin Mitchell, family law mortgage advice 32 First Call Financial, independent 36 Slater & Gordon, police law mortgage advice www.polfed.org/westmids federation October/November 2019 03 Secretary’s introduction Memorial day: a poignant reminder of the dangers officers face lives in the line of duty. now increasingly fearing the deliberate National Police Memorial Day, which was attacks on them; attacks that are not first held in London’s St Paul’s Cathedral in necessarily aimed at them as people but just 2004, seeks to honour those officers who because they are wearing the police uniform. have been killed, or died, on duty. While there have been some horrendous Given that 4,000 police officers have died incidents nationwide, we have two here in the on duty, often in brutal circumstances, since West Midlands where our officers have been an Act of Parliament in 1792 created the first left with life-changing injuries. salaried constables, it seems almost PC Gareth Phillips was run over by a police unbelievable that a memorial day in their car when he responded to reports of a stolen honour is such a recent addition to the car in the late afternoon of 10 August. After policing calendar. around a month in hospital, Gareth is now And, we should all commend Joe Holness, continuing his recovery at home. the former Kent officer, who founded Just six weeks later, PC Chris Burnham was National Police Memorial Day following the the victim of a ‘hit and run’ when he death of his colleague PC Jon Odell, for his attempted to stop a car in Coventry and efforts to ensure that there is now a day each suffered a fracture skull, a bleed on the brain year when police officers from across the and leg injuries. country and from all ranks join the families of Sadly, these incidents are a sign of the fallen officers to show that their sacrifice is times we live in. There has been an upsurge in By Steve Grange, secretary of West Midlands not forgotten. attacks on police officers and we are waiting Police Federation The service rotates around England, to see if the tougher sentences introduced Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales each last year for anyone found guilty of assaulting he vast majority of people seeking to year and this year was held in Glasgow on a police officer or other emergency service join the police service will do so out of Sunday 29 September. It is a very moving worker prove to be an effective punishment Ta sense of a desire to serve the public. service culminating in paper petals falling and deterrent. Underpinning that many would probably from the ceiling as ‘Abide With Me’ is played The Government does finally appear to be cite the varied nature of the work and job and the Last Post is sounded. listening to our warnings though. At the end security. I think most officers can relate to the of September, the Home Secretary announced On the flip side of that, we also all sign up sentiment ‘there but for the grace of God go I’ £10 million would be set aside for a Taser knowing that we will at times put ourselves when attending the service and, for me, this uplift which could see up to 10,000 police in harm’s way as we seek to fight crime, keep year’s service had a particularly sombre air officers trained and equipped with the the peace and protect the vulnerable. We coming just six weeks after the tragic death devices. We know they can help de-escalate expect there will be occasions when we will of the young Thames Valley PC Andrew many a situation that otherwise could have get injured as a result, perhaps knocked over Harper. resulted in officers – or members of the public or accidentally hit as we get caught up in His death has truly shocked the nation – being injured or killed. breaking up a fight. and has also highlighted the dangers police While we wait for these extra Taser- Then, of course, there are those officers are facing on a day to day basis. No trained officers to reach the streets – along incidents at the far end of the scale, when, longer are officers going out on duty aware of with the 20,000 new recruits promised by the in seeking to protect the public, police the ‘accidental’ injuries, the knocks and Prime Minister – I am afraid we may continue officers pay the ultimate price, losing their glancing blows they might suffer. They are to hear of incidents where police officers, 04 federation October/November 2019 www.polfed.org/westmids Driver who ran over simply going about their duties, serving the PC is jailed public, are injured. Car thief Mubashar Hussain has been others who seem to think it’s OK to attack As a society, we must ensure that jailed for 12 years for knocking down and a police officer.” someone protects those who seek to protect running over West Midlands traffic cop PC Phillips was responding to reports others and, with some people already Gaz Phillips, leaving him critically injured. of a car theft after a Range Rover Sport predicting riots if we fail to leave Europe on PC Phillips (42) had three rounds of was taken from Warwick Road, Tyseley. It 31 October, I feel that could become even emergency surgery and spent four weeks was tracked to Moorcroft Road with more important than ever.