Ffederasiwn Heddlu Gogledd Cymru / North Wales Police Federation YOUR DECEMBER 2016 VOICE Tim’s our Community Service Award winner – See Pages 3 - 5 Representing l Negotiating l Influencing Chairman’s comments workforce becoming frustrated at promotion and career development You can’t get a degree opportunities as most pass the promotion examinations and are unable to progress due to the lack of vacancies. I would call it the inverted funnel effect. in common sense The cynic in me would say that this is the aim in order to make the future police back then its founding fathers came from all service less attractive to career lifers walks of life and backgrounds; that has whereby the frustration in not being able to pretty much remained unchanged through progress and achieve promotion would see to the modern day. We are all aware that Sir many leaving the service before triggering Robert Peel, the founding father of the pension benefits. But I could be wrong. police service, famously said: “The police are On a slightly different subject, but one the public and the public are the police.” No that could also affect the recruitment of mention of the police being better educated potentially outstanding recruits, is tattoos. than the public? Like many forces, North Wales Police has In the United Kingdom, we have a proud recently reviewed its Tattoo Policy. The Police and envied police service that is made up of Federation of England of Wales has also a cross-section of the country’s communities recently concluded its own survey due to the and it works. Not everyone in the inconsistent way that current national communities we work in has a degree, not guidance was being interpreted across the everyone is educated, not everyone has 43 police forces of England and Wales with common sense and not everyone wants to regards to tattoos. be educated to a higher level and this would An overwhelming 80 per cent of those bar a vast number of exemplary candidates surveyed said their confidence in a police By Simon Newport, Chairman of North to the police service. officer would not be affected if they had Wales Police Federation It is reported that today 43 per cent of visible tattoos and further to that 60 per police recruits have degrees presumably cent of those surveyed by Ipsos Mori said Is it essential to be educated to degree level with the debts that are reportedly they believe people with visible tattoos in order to join the police? associated with a degree course – on should be allowed to join the police service. This is a question that has been raised average £44,000. Is this a possible With statistics like these, and the fact on many occasions over the past 12 months corruption risk even before you start your that forces across the country constantly tell and will, no doubt, continue to be asked as career? us that they are modernising and keeping the College of Policing pushes forward plans Critics and academics would say that we up with modern trends, think of this. One in to see all future recruits educated to degree need to improve. I accept this. We must be three young people now have tattoos, it is level to make them eligible to join the seen to adapt and improve on a regular almost a modern day rite of passage and service. basis but would having an educated degree many of those will presumably have degree Many have spoken for and against the level workforce help us achieve that level education. Unless a common sense idea and many of those making such improvement? approach is adopted nationally in the near comments do so on the back of an academic While you can teach subject matter and future, the service, as a whole, will no doubt background. So what of the uneducated reward people for passing examinations, miss out on a huge amount of potential view from a serving officer? you can’t teach common sense and you can’t talented recruits. Well, it is my opinion that degree level teach life experience. No amount of Finally, as this is the Winter and education is not necessary to ensure that certification or diplomas will help you out Christmas edition of Your Voice, it only today’s modern police service copes with on a rowdy high street in any town on a remains for me to wish you, your partners future demands. Given such a bold weekend night if you have no common and families a very Merry Christmas and a unscientific statement, let me be allowed to sense or cannot speak to people on the Happy New Year and to hope that you all qualify why I say this. correct level. As yet, I am unaware of any remain safe if you are working over the Modern policing, as we would generally degree course that rewards such attributes. Christmas festive period. recognise it today, commenced in 1829 and I also see an all degree level educated Cover photo: DC Tim Bird (left) receives Designed and produced by XPR (UK) Ltd Follow us on Facebook and Twitter: his Community Service Award from Chief www.xpruk.com Facebook: Constable Mark Polin. Contact the Federation www.facebook.com/NWalesPoliceFed Published by North Wales Police Federation, E-mail: [email protected] Police Federation Office, 311 Abergele Road, Tel: 01492 805400 Twitter: Old Colwyn, Conwy LL29 9YF Web: www.nwpolfed.org @NWalesPoliceFed Every care is taken to ensure that advertisements are only accepted from bona fide advertisers. The Police Federation cannot accept liability incurred by any person as a result of a default on the part of an advertiser. The views expressed within this magazine are not necessarily the views of the North Wales Joint Branch Board. 2 www.nwpolfed.org Difficult task for community award judges North Wales PCC Arfon Jones congratulates s nominee PC Gemma Poulton. Full story on Pages 4 and 5 www.nwpolfed.org Representing l Negotiating l Influencing 3 Difficult task for community award judges PC Sue Carrington receives her certificate from PCC Arfon Jones. By Richard Eccles, Secretary of North Wales sole Caia Park Community Beat Manager for who were causing the problems in that area Police Federation a considerable time prior to a restructured did not return. team being implemented. Since the evictions, Caia Park has seen This year’s North Wales Police Federation During that period Gemma was increased public confidence and also a Community Service Awards drew a strong instrumental in tackling significant issues reduction in the ASB and crime to such an field of nominations from across the Force on Caia Park in terms of anti-social extent that local councillors were soon area making judging a difficult process. behaviour and crime. remarking that they had never seen the area The awards ceremony was attended by Gemma needed to address a culture as quiet. The local communities were also the PCC Arfon Jones, Deputy PCC Ann Griffith within the community whereby those who full of praise and some went on to describe together with our Chief Officer Team and were suffering were often too scared to how their quality of life had been improved. local Assembly Members Ann Jones and report matters to police. Gemma’s nomination included the Mark Isherwood. Working closely with the local authority, following tribute: “PC Poulton was the sole Among the nominations was PC Gemma Gemma evidenced great problem-solving CBM for a considerable length of time and Poulton who was Beat Manager for Caia skills and progressed a largely untested has always remained professional, Park in Wrexham which has a population of piece of legislation and applied for closure enthusiastic and dedicated to her role of more than 14,000 residents and creates orders on two private premises. policing such a challenging area. The way in some of the highest demand in the county. Gemma was able to work with the which she has tirelessly dedicated herself to Gemma was highlighted as she was the private landlords in order to ensure those the area and successfully managed the 4 team of PCSOs is commendable and has had a huge impact on the local community.” Also nominated was PC Sue Carrington who had an extensive record of serving the Flintshire communities as a CBM from the inception of Community Beat Managers in North Wales. Sue was very much regarded as the font of all knowledge for all things related to community policing and was the first point of reference for colleagues looking for solutions to their problems. Sue opted for a change of role and moved to the Safer Communities Unit in Wrexham aiming to reduce demand within Wrexham. Sue is absolutely instrumental in this role, using her vast experience to bring together key partners when various issues are identified ensuring that all partners rise to address their responsibilities. Sue is always looking at ways to develop skills and processes, both for her own benefit and that of colleagues, to make day to day tasks less onerous and the organisation more efficient. DC Tim Bird (left) receives his Community Service Award from Chief Constable Mark Polin. Sue is engaging, enthusiastic, popular, friendly, approachable and just very, very tourists and outdoor pursuits enthusiasts. mountains of Snowdonia. nice! The outdoor community is an important Mountain safety: Recent evidence of Sue’s involvement in economic part of the North Wales region Tim has played a key role in setting up projects are: bringing much valued tourist income and ‘Mountain Safe’, a multi-agency community 1. Wrexham Town Public Space Protection jobs to the area.