WELLBEING WELLBEING – PUTTING T


he National Police Federation has a vision that officer’s wellbeing should be looked after from the moment they are


sworn in as a PC, to the point of retirement. It is the job of PFEW’s eight-person


Wellbeing sub-committee, chaired by Hayley Aley and with Belinda Goodwin as secretary to investigate and drive forward ways of achieving that.


“Officers’ wellbeing is at the heart of everything we do within PFEW,” said Hayley. “We know policing is dangerous and unpredictable but that doesn’t mean the job shouldn’t do everything possible to ensure cops are safe and protected. Wouldn’t it be great if, on the day you retire, you’re as healthy mentally as when you joined?” To help make this as near to a reality as possible, the sub-committee focuses all its efforts and campaigning around the ‘four pillars’ of wellbeing – physical, mental health, financial and general. She added: “Everybody in their career hits


low points. There’s a lot of work being done around crisis point, and what to do when an officer identifies that they are struggling with mental health. Currently, forces are not doing enough to tackle the preventative side. That is in officers’ interests and forces too, because if they put prevention at the forefront they will not have to pump as much money into crisis.” Hayley came up through Warwickshire


Police and has been a PFEW National Board member for six years. In that time, she has led work around increasing diversity in policing, and raising awareness of menopause as an issue that requires adjustments by forces to ensure good, experienced officers are not lost to the service. Belinda, who previously organised men’s


health and wellbeing events in the Met Police, naturally gravitated towards the wellbeing area of work when she joined PFEW’s National Board two years ago. In the last year they launched the


Federation’s HEAR ‘Man Up’ THINK ‘Man Down’ campaign, encouraging officers to seek help if they are struggling mentally, and to reach out to colleagues who are struggling. “We’re really breaking down the causes and dealing with the stigma in policing attached to anyone who’s got a mental health condition,”


34 | POLICE | OCTOBER 2020


COPS FIRST EVERY DAY In our regular feature shining a spotlight on the work of Police Federation sub-committees, we speak to Hayley Aley and Belinda Goodwin about the work of Wellbeing. Steve Bax reports


Hayley Aley (left) and Belinda Goodwin… putting wellbeing to the fore


said Belinda. The campaign signposts officers to the wide range of help that is available, including the Federation’s Welfare Support Programme – a hotline which operates 24/7. Fatigue is also a current priority.


Wellbeing has joined forces with its equivalent at the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) who are funding a study into officer fatigue. As part of this the College of Policing is identifying forces for a pilot scheme where officers will be asked to keep sleep diaries to help build the research base needed for change. Hayley explained: “This all links into


mental health because if you’re exhausted, you’re not thinking straight. So, we’re looking at everything from shift patterns to power naps on night duties. We’ve all seen the signs on the motorway that say, ‘if you’re tired stop’ and ‘tiredness kills’. Yet, our police officers are being expected to drive continuously for 12- hour shifts, only having food and rest breaks when they are attending incidents. “When they are driving home and the


adrenaline is no longer pumping, that’s when accidents occur. And we’ve too many officers killed in RTAs this way. That is why fatigue is such a big issue for our sub-committee.” Steve Taylor, who recently joined the


team, having previously been Chair of Essex Police Federation, is leading on a piece of work looking at the effectiveness of PFEW welfare vans. These are typically used to offer hot drinks and snacks to officers at incidents, as well as advice.


And, as you would expect, the


Wellbeing sub-committee is also heavily involved with the Federation’s input into the Police Covenant, a PFEW initiative which the Home Secretary has agreed to make a reality. The committee is also thinking about


various way to help Police Federation reps receive the correct training and support to do their roles, mindful that many are volunteers also juggling their day job and family life. An ‘engagement’ leaflet has been produced by the team which Fed reps can give to members, which helps manage expectations and protects reps from taking on more work than they can handle. Looking ahead, Hayley said: “We want


forces to introduce mental health resilience training for officers alongside physical training. That includes removing stigma and introducing peer to peer support. It makes absolute sense that while we are refreshing officer training on how to handcuff, restrain and search lawfully etc, we also give education on how to protect yourself mentally.”


DID YOU KNOW? A federated officer should receive an allowance for each 24-hour period they spend on-call. The rate, as of 1 September 2019, is £20 in respect of each day. For more on your rights see – www.polfed.org


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