FED REP FOCUS CHARITY
Catch up with a CAPLO
Tom Arthur, Conduct and Performance Liaison Officer and Deputy Chair at Surrey Police Federation, talks about the important work they do for members caught up in the disciplinary process
What is a CAPLO and what do they do on behalf of members? We are small force at Surrey, so we work a little differently to other forces. The CAPLO role is very much as it says – I deal with conduct and performance matters. With three executives at Surrey, I have oversight of all the conduct matters and lead with support from my chair, who is heavily involved. We do put work out to reps and support them dealing with matters through advice and direction. A huge part of the CAPLO role is giving this advice and knowing the right way to go, especially procedure-wise. People come to us with questions and for help and we provide that. We also liaise with PSD through regular meetings and, although not always agreeing with some of their direction, always keep the dialogue open. We engage with our team of senior officers and the PCC via regular meetings to talk through any concerns or other events effecting the force and, of course, our members. There are many meetings around force decisions, in which we represent the Federation to give views about concerns about what is being done and the effects this could have, as well as having an early opportunity to be a part of any implementation.
When did you become a CAPLO and why? I started covering this at the end of last year. I had been Deputy Chair in Surrey for quite a few years, which has given me a really good insight into the CAPLO and executive roles. I have been a Fed rep for about nine years now and, after training, I have represented officers in all the different areas so it’s given me a
good grounding to head into this position. For me, a CAPLO is a role that you can really get involved in and hopefully make a difference for officers. That’s what the overall aim has to be.
Give an example of a case you have worked on with a positive outcome. We have had a few over the last few months. The positive effect that we are starting to have on the force is not one individual element or one individual case, it’s larger than that. It’s keeping the conversation open with senior officers as much as anything, and trying to make sure we are involved in policies and the like to achieve the best outcomes for officers. The Chair feels the same as me – if we can get consultations pushed forward and talk and highlight the importance of officer wellbeing then we are doing something positive and doing our job better. We have lots of little triumphs.
What has been your biggest challenge so far? Just managing the workload. It’s an odd job but like policing, every day is different. You can walk in one day and find out someone is being served regs at very short notice. Then that’s the kind of thing we have to quickly react to. We want to be there for officers from the start to assist them because it’s a very difficult and stressful time for them. The sheer number of meetings and consultations is quite hard. Trying to manage this against being there for the members who need it can get challenging. I am lucky in that we have a great PA who runs my diary as well as the Chair’s. We need that, otherwise we would lose our way. So that’s the biggest challenge, just the sheer management of the work.
What’s your number one concern for members and how will
you help lead change? The timeliness of investigations. For my members, we need to address this more. I would like to see reflective practice being used a lot more and the spirit of regs being taken on board by forces themselves, because otherwise it’s only to the detriment of the officers. There is nothing to be gained by serving regs and putting someone through months of hell for an NFA, when it could have been dealt with at the time through reflective practice. I think it is better to try and use that, rather than having our members and officers put through the conduct procedure which is very stressful for them and is a horrible position to be in. I want to educate and influence the force more on this.
What’s your favourite thing about being a CAPLO?
The independence. I have a number of years in the job and I have never taken rank because I didn’t want to. I preferred the variety I got as an officer and the joy of this role is the variety too. One minute, I am talking to someone about prepping to go to Coroner’s Court and the next, it’s a very simple question about claims – that’s the kind of variety you get. You don’t know what is going to be in the inbox any day and you still feel like you’re involved as a police officer. I love the job and all it entails and I think I always will. If you’re thinking of taking on a CAPLO role, get your background work in first and then do it, as it is a really great role to have.
17 | POLICE | FEBRUARY 2022
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