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Survey Highlights Stress and Mental Health Concerns The Police Federation of England & Wales www.polfed.org AprilPOLICE / May 2019 injuries #PoliceDemand #PoliceWelfare stress wellbeing trauma work-life staffing mental balance Survey highlights stress and mental health concerns Federation’s latest Demand, Capacity and Welfare survey gives an insight into the challenges facing officers across all ranks Editor: Catherine Feast April / May – in this issue: Federation House, POLICE Highbury Drive, Leatherhead, NEWS & COMMENT Surrey, KT22 7UY Tel: 01372 352000 5 Editorial P8 Weapons offences at highest for a decade Designer: Keith Potter 6 View from the chair: John Apter says the decision to cancel this year’s conference was taken with a heavy heart Advertising agents: Richard Place 6-8 Demand, Capacity and Welfare Survey Chestnut Media Progress on mental health, but much more to do Tel: 01271 324748 Government must recognise extreme stress in policing 07962 370808 The all too familiar safety fears of single crewing Email: [email protected] 9 Cyber attacks cause disruption for Federation Every care is taken to ensure 10 Anger over Home Office’s pay submission that advertisements are accepted 13 GPS tags ‘must not become a cost-cutting exercise’ only from bona fide advertisers. Giving student officers access to Taser is ‘a victory’ The Police Federation cannot 14 accept any liability for losses 15 Memorial to hero officer is unveiled incurred by any person as a 19 Federation lobbies MPs for change result of a default on the part of P15 an advertiser. 21 Soaring murder rate sees Government fail a generation 23 ICCC co-ordinating international policing P25 The views expressed within in unprecedented times the magazine are not necessarily 24 Hot flushes and periods are not taboo the views of the National Board of the Police Federation of England 25 College consults on conflict resolution techniques and Wales. National Chair John Apter National Secretary REGULARS Alex Duncan 27 Ask the Experts National Treasurer Tim Packham 28 Members’ Benefits National Vice-Chair 31 The Duty Officer: Police magazine’s newest columnist Ché Donald highlights the frustrations of 21st century British policing Deputy National Secretary Nick O’Time John Partington Deputy National Treasurer Simon Kempton © The Police Federation 2019 Reproduction strictly forbidden unless by prior arrangement with the publishers. Cover image: GrAi / Shutterstock POLICE April / May 2019 3 NEWS n Editorial April / May 2019 Weapons offences at Catherine Feast, highest for a decade Editor Get over Brexit and get on with government Whether you voted Leave or Remain in the referendum, most will agree that the conduct of our MPs in recent months has been pretty unedifying. Instead of coming together to chart a way through Brexit and unite the nation, our elected representatives have ended up squabbling among themselves, There were 21,484 knife and offensive unable to agree on any option. weapon offences The UK’s future relationship with in the 12 months Europe is undoubtedly of huge to December 2018 importance. The trouble is that Brexit Business Images / Shutterstock © Monkey Picture seems to be sucking the life out of our A youth violence summit on April 1 at of knives will be dealt with seriously and political debate. Downing Street was an opportunity for robustly by the police and the criminal Other important issues like the the Police Federation of England and justice system.” fight against knife crime or how to Wales (PFEW) to highlight the need for Mr Apter added that fighting knife properly resource policing are denied viable, long-term funding of the police crime is not as simple as just sending vital oxygen. service to tackle knife crime. people to prison. However, he welcomed It came as official Ministry of the judiciary showing they are not afraid Stressed and exhausted Justice statistics show the number to use their powers to impose custodial While the politicians argue, outside of offensive weapon offences dealt sentences when necessary. of the Westminster bubble real life with by the criminal justice system continues and police officers are is at its highest for almost a decade (21,484 offences formally dealt with Fatal consequences struggling. The findings of our Demand, He continued: “There have to be Capacity and Welfare survey paint a in the year to December 2018, consequences, because without disturbing picture of officers being compared to 25,103 in 2009). that, this epidemic of knife crime will exposed to trauma and things people Statistically offenders are now continue and children will keep getting should never have to see. Many are more likely to receive an immediate murdered on our streets. I am reassured stressed out and exhausted. custodial sentence of 5.3 months to that the message is getting through to It should be apparent to our politicians 8.1 months on average. the whole of society that we will not sit that things have to change. We need a National Chair of the PFEW, John Apter, idly by and let carrying a knife – and its proper debate about funding and the said: “These statistics confirm what potentially fatal consequences – become very real crisis in policing and how we I, and my members, know to be true a cultural norm.” can best support officers and the public. – that knife crime is increasing and is There’s only so far policing can stretch devastating our communities. The figures were released a day after before it snaps. “They are also indicative of the hard the Chancellor announced an extra Whatever happens with Brexit, it’s time work and dedication shown by police £100m of emergency funding for the for the politicians to come to a decision officers in tackling this issue and police to tackle knife crime. so that the country can move on. There bringing those who choose to carry The Federation has welcomed the are plenty of other pressing issues which weapons to justice, despite there being additional money while warning that need attention. almost 22,000 fewer of them than there it is only a “short-term fix” and that Follow the Federation @pfew_hq were in 2010. And they send a strong additional resources will be needed to message that those found in possession solve this issue in the long term. POLICE April / May 2019 5 n DEMAND, CAPACITY AND WELFARE SURVEY View from the chair Progress on mental health, but much more to do Positive steps have been made by forces John Apter, to address mental health issues, with 79 per cent of officers experienced stress and anxiety in the 12 National Chair, officers feeling more encouraged and confident to speak out – but there is still months before the survey Police Federation a long way to go. Tough decisions That was one of the key messages from the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) Demand, Capacity make us stronger and Welfare survey, which saw more Recent weeks have been challenging for than 18,000 officers from the rank the Police Federation as we have dealt of constable to chief inspector give with the impact of two cyber attacks. their views on the demand currently These have caused us significant issues experienced by the service, and how this in trying to recover while continuing to has affected them. provide as normal a service as possible to our members. Traumatic experience We’ve had to make some really tough Almost every police officer who took decisions. The biggest of these has been part in the survey has been exposed to cancel this year’s Annual Conference. to at least one traumatic experience Conference is an important event in in their career, with 62 per cent saying they had experienced at least one the policing calendar. It’s where we hold ©Zido Sun / Shutterstock Picture the Home Secretary to account, but also of these types of incident in the highlight important issues in policing. last year. viewed their job as very or extremely Stress and anxiety was experienced stressful – a larger proportion than in the Incredibly difficult by 79 per cent of officers within the 2016 survey (39 per cent). To cancel it has been an incredibly previous 12 months, with 94 per cent The PFEW’s National Vice-Chair, difficult decision, personally and of those affected saying the difficulties Ché Donald, said the results should be professionally, particularly in our 100th were caused or made worse by their job. “a huge red flag to the Government, year. Although painful, I do feel it is right And nearly half (44 per cent) said they chief constables and the public”. in the circumstances as our focus is, and must be, on the needs of our members. This has been the most challenging Government must face facts – extreme stress in policing is real time for the Federation in recent years – The results of the latest PFEW survey simply this is not sustainable and officers but the measure of any organisation is contradict the Government’s views on are suffering.” how it deals with a crisis. I’m incredibly what is working when it comes to fighting The results also show: proud of how everyone has pulled crime and keeping the public safe. l Almost every police officer has been together, both locally and nationally. We The survey – the only national policing exposed to at least one traumatic have come through a lot in the last 100 survey of its kind – was first carried out in experience in their career, with 62 years and I am confident we will be even 2016, and was undertaken again in August per cent saying they had experienced stronger as we go forward. 2018, with the results published in March. at least one of these types of In other matters, I welcome the They reveal an increase in lone working incident in the last 12 months decision by the Home Secretary to cut – 76 per cent of respondents from relevant l 79 per cent of officers say they have some of the red tape surrounding stop frontline roles* indicated that they are felt feelings of stress and anxiety and search.
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