Page 4 - Top Cover Issue 15

4 TOP COVER MAY 2019

THANK YOU

for what you do

Having been in post as National PFEW does, must be in the interests support them too.
Chair of the Police Federation of of the majority of our members. I am therefore
England and Wales (PFEW) for I listened to concerns about pay pleased to see our
some months now, I was delighted to and pensions; the frustration about Protect the Protectors
accept an invitation from PFOA Chief government not treating officers fairly campaign result in
Executive, Mark Williams, to write a when it comes to pay, yet officers changes to better protect
short article for your magazine. having no access to industrial rights. in law all emergency
For those who don’t know anything I made clear that I would keep an service workers;
about me, I am a Hampshire Police open mind about previous actions but there
Constable with 26 years’ service. I’m undertaken by the PFEW and that is still more
the first National Chair elected by the I would not shy away from legally that we are
members, which came as a result of the challenging the Government on issues doing to do
independent review of the PFEW, to if need be. And you will know that we to increase
make the organisation more directly are seeking fresh legal advice regarding further the
accountable to you, our members. I the pension situation, and we have protections
am therefore incredibly proud that the taken a judicial review against the needed.
members put their confidence in me Government for its failure to honour
and elected me to the role in August. in full the pay recommendation of the
Having previously been Chair of Police Remuneration Review Body.
Hampshire Police Federation for eight I have been actively involved for
years, I know the hugely important many years in campaigning for the
work that goes on at ground level, legislative changes needed to
whatever role officers undertake. This get harsher sentences for those
is particularly true of firearms roles, convicted of assaulting officers.
as the additional responsibility, the While in Hampshire I created
increased scrutiny and the public the ‘Seven Point Plan’ to ensure
accountability make a difficult job officers and police staff who
even harder. You only need look at the are assaulted at work are
results of some of our recent research treated as victims and given
and surveys to see how much pressure the support they fully deserve.
officers are under, and the negative This plan has now been
impact it has on health and wellbeing. adopted by almost every
Picture copyright: Stuart Bolton / Shutterstock at the heart of all we do. And that’s the Metropolitan pushing for
That’s why, as the National Chair, I
force across England
and Wales, including
am determined that the members are
I am also
why I am determined to make sure
Police, who have
renamed it Operation
Taser to be
that the excellent work that you do,
Hampshire. I have always been certain
and the first-class support of local
rolled out to
all frontline
that, while officers must be given the
Fed Reps and the PFOA, is recognised
and highlighted.
officers who
right protective equipment to do the
In the run up to my election I was
trained to use
of them, the law needs to properly
very clear with you: all I do, and all the
WWW.PFOA.CO.UK difficult and dangerous job expected wish to be