SESSIONS


FUTURE THINKING OF MUTUAL AID


Significance of pre-deployment preparations and ensuring officers’ wellbeing throughout


The session commenced with Steve Taylor, PFEW operational policing lead, underscoring the importance of recognising mutual aid encompasses a wide range of skills beyond public order maintenance.


Reflecting on past deployments,


Steve acknowledged the Federation’s historical involvement in planning but pointed out challenges. “In some recent deployments, we faced significant challenges, resulting in suboptimal planning and inconsistencies,” he explained. “We had officers from 43 different forces reporting to 43 different locations, which created built-in inconsistencies.”


Recognising room for improvement,


Steve stated: “We realised there’s an opportunity for the Federation to play a more prominent role in advocating for our members during mutual aid deployments. Key areas of concern that emerged from deployments were related to food, accommodation and allowances, which were consistently problematic. We decided to strive for greater consistency in


12 | POLICE | SPECIAL EDITION | 2023


addressing these issues.” Richie Murray, PFEW health and safety


co-lead, elaborated on the introduction of welfare vans five years ago to address critical logistical challenges during deployments.


He emphasised the importance of these vans, stating: “Welfare vans were introduced to provide essential facilities that were lacking during deployments, such as a warm place for breaks and restroom facilities.” Steve highlighted the Framework of Principles, which aims to establish consistency in mutual aid deployments. He explained: “This framework, recognised by partners like the National Police Coordination Centre, streamlines the process by setting basic standards for mutual aid policing, including duty rosters, allowance guidance and accommodation standards.” Steve emphasised the importance of proactive preparation before deployments, citing the inclusion of a “wellbeing impact assessment” in the framework. He stated: “This assessment is beneficial


for our membership, and we want to further explore and clarify what it entails.” Steve outlined the Federation’s ongoing efforts to prioritise officer wellbeing during deployments. “We aim for wellbeing to be identified early in the deployment process, with an appropriate commander assigned to oversee officers at the strategic level,” he said. “We’re also developing a tactical directory that covers various aspects affecting officers during deployments, from laundry provision to spare time and transportation to social events.” Richie stressed the importance of


training mutual aid liaison officers (MALOs) on the ground during deployments. He also highlighted plans to provide training for Federation representatives and personnel from forces to enhance support for officers during deployments, emphasising a skill-based approach. He concluded: “This training will be


part of the MALO training, focusing on helping officers effectively on the ground during deployments.”


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