VAWG TOOLKIT


New PFEW guidelines put better protections in place to support victims of blue-on-blue incidents, particularly sexual harassment


ETHICAL WALL


The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) has issued national guidance to its 43 branches to ensure members who are victims of blue-on-blue incidents, including sexual harassment, are given the best support possible through strict confidentially and avoiding conflicts of interest.


A wake up call was made to the entire


service following the Baroness Casey Review, highlighting a significant amount of work needed to urgently take place to stamp out misogyny and sexual harassment, and treat police officers who are victims of any form of harassment with the same level of care provided to members of the public. In response to the revelations, PFEW has created a toolkit and has been delivering extra training to reps across England and Wales on sexual harassment to coincide with the new guidance, to support members when reporting issues to their force and throughout any action that follows. To maintain confidentiality, an “ethical


wall” will be maintained between those representing an individual accused of wrongdoing and those representing the individual who has made the accusation or has been the victim of the alleged


32 | POLICE | DECEMBER | 2023


wrongdoing. This is to ensure all members have confidence in their local branch and its ability to represent everyone fairly and effectively.


This means that any information shared by members (especially victims of sexual harassment) will be kept strictly confidential and will only be disclosed on a need-to-know basis and subject to any legal obligations or rights such as a


Sue Honeywill, National Board member chair of PFEW’s National Women’s Group, said: “At the Police Federation of England and Wales, we recognise the sensitive nature of cases we handle and the importance of protecting the privacy of those involved. We are committed to protecting your personal information and maintaining the trust you have placed in us. “We treat all the information you share with us as strictly confidential, except where disclosure is required by law or for the legitimate interests of the PFEW. “Our Claims team, who handle these cases at the headquarters, have been trained on the importance of maintaining confidentiality and will abide by ethical and legal standards to ensure that the privacy of our members is respected at all times.


“By implementing an ethical wall, we


hope to provide our members with the confidence they need to come forward and share their experiences, knowing that their information will be protected. “This is a really positive step for the


“Our ethical wall is just one of the many steps we are taking to ensure we are providing our members with the best possible service while maintaining the highest levels of confidentiality.”


requirement to report to a regulator. The PFEW Claims Department will also prevent the same person being involved in decisions in respect of both Claimants (complainant) and Respondents (alleged wrongdoer).


VICTIM AND WITNESS SUPPORT REPRESENTATIVE Victims of any form of harassment and victimisation under the Equality Act, and whistleblowers and witnesses, will be provided with assistance, empathy and support by a dedicated Victim Support Representative within their local Federation branch.


Federation and we are committed to upholding the highest ethical standards in our work, and our ethical wall is just one of the many steps we are taking to ensure we are providing our members with the best possible service while maintaining the highest levels of


confidentiality.” PFEW is also encouraging forces


to put officers subject to unlawful behaviour in touch with their local Federation to ensure they get the right support as soon as possible. To ensure forces know who to


signpost to within the Federation, resources with contact details will be made more widely available.


If you would like more information, please contact your local Federation branch. All contact details can be found on our website here: www.polfed.org/about-us/contact-us


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