OUR YEAR IN REVIEW
OCTOBER Assistant Commissioner Neil
September - HRH The Prince of Wales addressed the first National Police Memorial Day to be held virtually.
SEPTEMBER John Apter interviewed the
described by the Federation as a “step in the right direction” and John Apter wrote to the National Police Chiefs’ Council calling for Forces to publish body-worn video footage to address the rise in one-sided clips of police interactions circulating online. Members received an email invitation to take part in the Federation’s annual Pay and Morale Survey, which underpins our submission to the independent Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB). National Secretary Alex Duncan said: “The Federation needs hard evidence to support any argument we make for an increase in pay or allowances.”
AUGUST
Lissie Harper launched her Federation-backed campaign for ‘Harper’s Law’ which would see criminals convicted of killing emergency services workers spend the rest of their lives in jail. PFEW’s Roads Policing Lead Gemma Fox, speaking at the start of National Roads Victim Month, said underfunding had “severely damaged” the ability of Forces to deliver effective roads policing. Assaults against the emergency services rose by an appalling 31 per cent and our National Vice-Chair, Ché Donald, challenged the claim that policing is institutionally racist. The Federation welcomed the announcement of a Taser 7 rollout.
Home Secretary for POLICE magazine, discussing topics ranging from stop and search to the Police Covenant and the vilification of police on social media. Maximum sentences for assaulting emergency service workers would double to two years, Priti Patel said. PFEW submitted evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee on the damage of protracted misconduct investigations. PC Geoff Marshall, who tackled a bursting dam at Whaley Bridge, was unveiled as one of the 2020 Police Bravery Award nominees. The first National Police Memorial Day to be held virtually was a stunning success, and featured contributions from HRH The Prince of Wales, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the British Police Symphony Orchestra.
Basu of the Metropolitan Police blogged for the Police Federation about his career and the need for empathy between races. “The reality is we are all prejudiced but very few of us are malicious about it,” he wrote as part of Black History Month. PFEW National Treasurer Simon Kempton took part in an episode of the BBC’s Critical Incident with his Dorset colleague, PC Charlotte Harvey, talking about their struggle with a violent individual in the path of oncoming traffic. Lancashire Fed rep PC Ian Ashton spoke candidly about coming out as a gay police officer and John Apter said more needed to be done to recruit people with different life experience. The College of Policing came in for heavy criticism after a technical glitch prevented officers from completing inspector exams.
NOVEMBER Dame Cressida Dick,
the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, led tributes to Sergeant Matiu Ratana at his funeral after he was fatally shot in a custody suite. The ceremony concluded with a traditional Māori cultural dance.
August - Lissie Harper launched her Federation- backed campaign for ‘Harper’s Law’
October - Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu blogged for the Police Federation about his career
Ché Donald said a freeze in police officer pay would “feel like a slap in the face” to officers on the frontlines of the Covid crisis. Staffordshire Fed rep PC Claire Bond was serenaded by pop star Olly Murs, who presented her with a Pride of Britain Award in recognition of her heroism in preventing a stolen car from being driven into runners. The Federation warned that repeated exposure to trauma was taking a toll on the mental health of roads policing officers, while calling for a culture change so that officers are encouraged to speak up and ask for help.
DECEMBER Lissie Harper’s request for an
increase in the jail terms of three men who caused the death of her husband PC Andrew Harper was rejected by the Court of Appeal. John Apter told a House of Lords committee investigating the police response to the pandemic that “my colleagues have absolutely stepped up to the plate”. Unicef called for a ban on using Taser against under 18s, prompting PFEW’s National Chair to comment that critics needed to “get in the real world”. Results of PFEW’s Pay and Morale survey were published and showed two thirds of officers feel under-paid and a third worry about money every day. John Apter insisted that breaking up family gatherings over Christmas would not be a priority for police officers.
FEBRUARY 2021 | POLICE | 19
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