When it comes to Christmas wishes for policing, is health and happiness too much to ask for?

If you were granted one personal wish at Christmas, what would it be? Aside from the most outlandish – mine would be a winning lottery ticket, maybe an England Six Nations Rugby Grand Slam, or even sticking to the New Year diet for longer than January – most of us would go for good health and happiness over the festive period and beyond.

But what about a Christmas wish for policing? The range of desires might be much greater for police services everywhere. How about more staff, some more funding, or a better work-life balance? Or an end to the seemingly continuous sniping from the media, commentators or even politicians?

What about some respect and understanding for doing your best in a job that few others will take on? Or it could simply be an end to the non-stop roundabout of arresting the same people, putting them before the courts, and then arresting them again for a similar offence a week later, while victims of crime have rarely feel like they get justice.

The wide variety of these and lots of other policing wishes reflects some of the many challenges that policing is facing globally, challenges shared with some others in the emergency services.

Ironically, it is those public sector roles such as policing and healthcare that we rely on to be there to help us at Christmas – when no-one else is – as well as throughout the rest of the year.

It also reflects what’s been quite a turbulent year for policing, from a wave of political protests internationally and accusations of two-tier policing, to concerns over political interference, fears over funding, and a continuing debate about trust and confidence.

The past two years has seen changes in governments in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, while Canadians are set to head to the polls in 2025.

But how much difference a change of government can really make to all of these challenges remains to be seen, and many of these discussions have been ongoing for decades.

For example, in the UK anyone with wisdom teeth will know of the long-running debates about the merits or otherwise of a 43-force structure, the vagaries of the police funding formula, and policing’s hit and miss relationship with new technology – and it’s going to take more than a Christmas wish to solve them.

But in truth, the overriding message for officers and staff about what they should expect from the job should be much the same as what they wish for in their personal lives – health and happiness.

Healthy policing means adequate safety measures and protection, adequate resources, the right equipment to do a difficult job safely, and the service prioritising your wellbeing – both physical and mental.

Happiness should stem from the satisfaction of knowing that you are doing a job that makes a difference, one that few others are prepared to do, and that you have the respect and understanding of your professional partners, politicians, and most of the public (all may be too much to ask) for trying to do that job to the best of your abilities.

Maybe health and happiness as a Christmas wish for both professional and personal lives is where we should all be (although I still wouldn’t turn down the lottery ticket or a Six Nations result).

So that is Policing Insight’s wish for all of you – those officers and staff working over the Christmas and New Year period, those able to have time off to enjoy with friends and family, and those who support you.

We hope you have a safe, healthy and happy Christmas and New Year, and, as always, thank you for everything you do.

Picture © I T S / Shutterstock