CONFERENCE Left to right: John Apter; Robert Rinder; Danny Shaw
on public confidence is the interactions they have with police. Are they respectful, efficient and effective in their response? Those are the critical things. “I’m not diminishing the experience
of being vilified on social media – but we should not get things out of perspective. I also wouldn’t get so caught up in the headlines – what’s more important is the article and balance. People are shouting at each other on social media – but mainstream (media) has a filter.” He said he believed policing must
improve its relationships with media editors as a matter of priority – to counter the changing media landscape and prominence of social media. He added: “I don’t think policing has been good in terms of influencing media. You’ve not been good at making them understand the realities of policing.”
The panel heard from an anonymous ofcer with 34 years’ service who had personally experienced the unfair glare of social media spotlight.
He said: “An incident caught on camera that was played out in the media made me question whether the police service was for me. “What myself and my family have
gone through is crushing and still haunts us to this day. I feel let down by the service, damaged, disheartened – it feels like a betrayal. “The events that played out on social media portrayed only one side of the story. There was no balance. I felt hung out to dry, condemned.
Comments from haters were calling for me to commit suicide – how do you explain that to your family? “My body-worn footage brought
the situation I faced into context, resulting in no further action from the professional standards department. “But the damage was done – mud sticks and I find that hard to accept. For me, it has tarnished a career that I have dedicated most of my life to. My ambition just isn’t there anymore, and I’m not the confident officer that I once was.”
‘Pressure is on even before you get through door’
West Mercia PCs Rich Hughes and Charlotte Davies talked about the stresses of a typical day in response policing. They told a session hosted by PFEW
National Wellbeing Lead Hayley Aley that it often begins with the stress of finding a parking space and continues with excessive workloads. Rich said: “The pressure is on even before you get through the door. Some
of the 30-40 emails I have waiting for me are very important and can change the plans I’ve made.” Charlotte said keeping appointments
to see victims of crime is tough because a call can come in to deploy at any time. “It is disappointing when we have to cancel. It does make you feel guilty.” Hayley said: “Police officers, from the start of their shift through to working
over, are faced with real pressures. There can be fixes we can implement, like the welfare van. Checking their wellness in force has real benefits. If we can work together to make sure the prevention is there, we will see fewer officers in crisis support than we do now.” The session heard that 50 per cent of a
person’s wellbeing at work is determined by the relationship with their line manager.
15 I POLICE I AUGUST 2021
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