REPS AT WORK
New Reps Spotlight
PC Lane
Welcome to our new dedicated workplace representatives looking forward to supporting colleagues
PC Amit Patel became a rep at the end of 2021. Always passionate about helping his colleagues in North Wales, his move to the Federation “felt like a natural step forward”. Helping promote diversity in the workplace, Amit is the vice-chair of the Black and Asian Police Association for his force and hopes to inspire more ethnic minority officers to expand their career by
becoming a rep. “Policing is a stressful enough job as it
is – I am a tutor, I was a cadet leader, I do reverse mentoring and a buddy scheme, so I have always been there to support colleagues” said Amit. “We don’t often get praise from the public, the government,
sometimes not even our bosses, it’s good to have someone there who has your back to tell you ‘it’s ok’ and ‘I’m here for you’.”
Amit has experienced the benefits of . PC Patel
having a rep by his side when he faced difficulties as a probationer and got called into an assessment issues meeting. “The level of professional support I was given was brilliant,” he recalls. “My rep Richie Eccles, the then-North Wales Police Federation Secretary, turned up early
before the meeting, he had my portfolio printed out and advised me on how to respond to support myself. It really made me feel reassured.” “If he wasn’t there, I wouldn’t have known what to say or do. I may not even be in service today if it wasn’t for Richie. I was really fortunate – and if I could provide similar support to a colleague, I would be really grateful,” Amit said. “I am really excited to help in any way I
can, working with other reps who have a shared common goal of keeping the police a fair place. I hope I can further promote diversity in the workplace. It is important to be reflective of the communities we serve because the public needs to feel like they are being represented.” PC Chloe Lane joined the service in 2019
through Police Now’s neighbourhood policing programme and is a response officer in Surrey Heath. She is about to start her training as a rep
and is eager to gain knowledge so she can give professional advice to help officers across the county.
“Since being in the police service, I’ve given quite a few people in my team advice on difficulties they faced inside and outside work. I felt I had the right personality for a rep as people feel they can come to me because I’m going to listen and be patient,” Chloe said. “I had a colleague who was having a
hard time with his sergeant. I know he had spoken to a rep and found it helpful. I tried to give him advice from my perspective, but didn’t have all the answers – that’s when I thought it would be quite nice to guide someone with the right knowledge. “There is a lot of pressure on police officers, and we don’t always feel supported. Within our police family, we really need to be there for each other and
“Within our police family, we really need to be there for each other and support one another”
support one another. “I was 23 when I joined the police, so fairly
young, but we have officers joining who are 19 or 20, and if you haven’t had any work experience before, joining the police can be daunting and you need guidance and support – it isn’t always smooth sailing. “Dealing with complaints for the first time
can be scary; just having someone there you can confide in and ask questions can ease your worries.”
35 | POLICE | FEBRUARY 2022
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