For editors and journalists, writing the Christmas message for readers has always been something of a festive ritual. It means the big day is just around the corner, it’s an opportunity to talk about the ‘joy of Christmas’ and the ‘season to be jolly’, and then to think about what time the newsroom is closing on Christmas Eve (or earlier).
The cost-of-living crisis that has followed Covid and other world events has left many more people struggling financially, with plenty of predictions of rising crime as a result. It has also led to renewed pressures on policing budgets.
In policing of course, things are not quite so clear cut. Some officers will be out on shift throughout Christmas and the New Year, others will be on call for much of the festive period, while some people’s seasonal celebrations inevitably add to the workload of those on the frontline.
And over the past couple of years, for many that Christmas message has had a slightly different tone. The challenges of Covid isolation in 2020, followed by the relief of avoiding another lockdown in 2021 – as well as a pretty tumultuous year for policing – has led to a sense that we’ve just been glad to make it through to Christmas, and at some point hopefully the opportunity to sit down, breathe out and enjoy.
So, what about 2022? Well, in the UK at least, the sentiment is little improved. The cost-of-living crisis that has followed Covid and other world events has left many more people struggling financially – and young-in-service officers and some members of police staff are not immune to those effects – with plenty of predictions of rising crime as a result. It has also led to renewed pressures on policing budgets.
Meanwhile, many of those that police work with so closely in the public sector – including healthcare professionals, fire and rescue services, and Border Force staff – are, in the UK at least, either already taking strike action, or are balloting to do so.
As the service of first and last resort, and one of a handful of professions currently banned by law in the UK from taking strike action, policing will undoubtedly find itself plugging the gaps caused by industrial disputes, adding to officers’ burden.
Against that backdrop, and with the prospect of an extended ‘winter of discontent’ to come in the New Year, talking about spreading joy and jollity seems a little incongruous.
The positive impact of policing
But avoiding the temptation to go full ‘bah humbug’, there are many reasons for the public to be proud and thankful – particularly at Christmas – for the work that police officers, staff, and all those linked to law enforcement and the criminal justice system have done over the past 12 months.
Policing doesn’t always get it right; no profession does. Unfortunately, when things go wrong, the outcomes can range from minor inconvenience to major injury and even loss of life, with the public outcry, press headlines and social media outrage that inevitably follow.
No-one joins the job for the glory. But at this time of year it’s worth remembering that there will be individuals, families, children and many others who are only able to enjoy Christmas because of the work you do.
What rarely make the same headlines or social media impact are the hundreds of thousands of occasions when police and policing get it right.
That’s the nature of the world, and no-one joins the job for the glory. But at this time of year it’s worth remembering that there will be individuals, families, children and parents who are only able to enjoy Christmas because of the work you do.
Every knife taken off the street is potentially another teenager who will there on Christmas morning to open presents with their parents. Every drunk driver taken off the road could be a husband, wife or whole family who will have arrive home safely to celebrate the festive season.
There will be women, men and children who in 2022 will be able to enjoy a Christmas free of violence for the first time in many years, safe away from their abusive partners and parents.
There will be families who can still unwrap presents on Christmas day, now that the burglar who was targeting their street is behind bars. And there will be families around the world who aren’t having to mourn the loss of a loved one this Christmas, because of the efforts of counter-terror officers and others in thwarting those intent on violence.
The reality is that what police do every shift, every day, every week, throughout the year, contributes to the safe, merry Christmas and happy New Year the rest of us so often take for granted.
That work is rarely recognised outside of the job; and if you live your life informed by those news headlines and social media pile-ons, you could be forgiven for thinking that policing is to blame for many of the ills of society, rather than enabling us all to enjoy those special moments when we come together to celebrate.
And sometimes the police undertaking that work pay the make the ultimate sacrifice; the death of an officer is still thankfully rare, but we were reminded just this month, with the tragic loss of two Queensland Police officers, that society’s safety can come at a very high price.
Take pride
If you’re a police officer, take a moment to reflect on your achievements over the past 12 months, and take pride in the positive impact your work – day in, day out – has had on so many people and communities.
So if you’re struggling to find the joy and jollity in Christmas this year, perhaps instead find a quiet time to reflect and experience some different emotions.
If you’re a member of the public, it’s an opportunity to be thankful for the efforts and sacrifices made by police officers and others that allow us to enjoy this season and others in safety and with the ones we love.
And if you’re a police officer, take a moment to reflect on your achievements over the past 12 months, and take pride in the positive impact your work – day in, day out – has had on so many people and communities.
With everything going on around us, and the challenges policing and society face, it can be difficult to view this time of year as the season to be jolly; but we should all recognise that it is a time to be thankful, and for officers and others to be proud of the work they do.
From all of the Policing Insight team, have a great Christmas, and here’s to a safe, healthy and prosperous New Year.
Picture © I T S / Shutterstock
