Officer and staff welfare

INTERVIEW: After 41 years in policing – the past four as Commissioner of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force – Trevor Botting retired recently, although admits he may have not hung up his uniform altogether; he spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about the challenges leading an island force in the West Indies, the need to nurture local recruits, and why the force’s firearms officers are among the bravest he has worked with.

INTERVIEW: Police personnel and their families continue to be at risk from online hate and harmful threats; Professor Petra Bayerl from the Centre of Excellence in Terrorism, Resilience, Intelligence & Organised Crime Research (CENTRIC), explained to Policing Insight how a ground-breaking project with six police forces is seeking to better understand the challenges, risks and harms police officers and their families face when online.

FEATURE: The Garda Representative Association (GRA) has claimed the force faces an “unprecedented retention crisis” after exit interviews of Gardaí highlighted unfair treatment by management, low morale and lack of support as reasons for leaving the force; but An Garda Síochána says resignation levels are “far below” those of UK forces, with “historically high numbers of extensions and promotions” demonstrating a high level of commitment by officers, reports Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

ANALYSIS: With law enforcement in many democracies focusing on the need to develop a policing culture committed to society’s ethical values, the issue of moral injury – when an officer experiences psychological distress arising from actions (or a lack of action) that violates their own moral code – has come to the fore; Policing Insight’s Matthew Wood, a former Toronto Police officer and now part-time professor, explores the concept of moral injury, it’s impact on officers and communities, and what can be done to address the issue.

FEATURE: The latest survey of police wellbeing in England and Wales, coupled with a report comparing research from other staff associations, inspectorates and other bodies, has highlighted significant increases in stress and anxiety and a decline in feeling valued among officers which could also impact on service delivery; but forces that have acknowledged and prioritised wellbeing issues have seen a much more positive trajectory for officers and staff, reports Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

FEATURE: University of Tasmania Professor of Criminology Rob White has warned that police officers are currently ill-equipped to deal with the demands of climate change and its associated crimes, and will face exhaustion and extended trauma unless operational approaches are significantly overhauled and more extensive collaborations with other agencies are introduced, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: The police disciplinary processes in New Zealand and the UK have been overhauled in recent months; but despite the reforms, staff associations representing frontline officers in both countries are still voicing strong concerns over the lengthy delays involved in misconduct investigations which – in the worst cases – can leave officers waiting years for allegations to be resolved, significantly impacting both their own health and public confidence, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: As we welcome in 2024, Policing Insight Editor Keith Potter looks back over what the past 12 months have meant for policing in the UK and internationally, how those issues have been covered by Policing Insight, and the continuing challenges and opportunities for the year ahead.

CHRISTMAS MESSAGE: There seems to have been little festive cheer in the build-up to Christmas this year, with international events and home-grown politicians leaving police a target for headlines and commentators, and little recognition of the everyday efforts to prevent crime and keep the public safe; against that sort of backdrop, it’s even more crucial that officers and staff get the opportunity to celebrate, relax and recharge over the Christmas period, says Policing Insight Editor Keith Potter.

INTERVIEW: The continuously rotating shift patterns worked by many officers and staff within policing can have a significant negative impact on both dietary habits as well as wider health and wellbeing; nutritional therapist Anna Earl, who works with UK police wellbeing service Oscar Kilo, believes there’s much more that both forces and officers can do to address the challenges, as she explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

INTERVIEW: In September HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services confirmed that Cleveland Police was out of special measures for the first time in more than four years; Cleveland Chief Constable Mark Webster spoke to Policing Insight’s Keith Potter about the turnaround process, the importance of engaging both staff and public, and what he hopes will be the long-term legacy for the force.

OPINION: Body armour is essential kit for police officers, but ill-fitting vests that now carry additional equipment weight are causing significant health problems for those on the frontline; Zac Mader of the Police Federation of England and Wales argues that new lightweight, gender-specific body armour could address many of the lower back pain issues associated with existing equipment, a problem highlighted by physiotherapist Patrick Hoyte

ANALYSIS: While the Baroness Casey Review was underway – a review which highlighted “toxic cultures” of sexism and racism in the force’s firearms unit – the National Police Chiefs’ Council commissioned its own UK-wide review of the role; Adrian James, Reader in Police Studies at Liverpool John Moores University and one of the authors of the subsequent report, says that similar issues around macho, sexist cultures and elitism are evident in police firearms teams across the country.

FEATURE: After a tumultuous week in UK policing – one which saw tensions between the Met and national politicians dominate the headlines, followed by the eventual departure of Home Secretary Suella Braverman – Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley joined the Institute for Government to set out his plans to keep reform of the country’s largest police force on track, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

FEATURE: A new report by a cross-party committee of UK MPs has described the need for policing to “repair its culture” in the face of increasingly complex demands and failures that have damaged confidence in the service as a “turning point for the police”, amid warnings that “marginal changes” will not be enough to improve services and rebuild public trust, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: The recent adoption of the Right Care, Right Person approach to mental health responses by police forces across England and Wales has reignited the debate around policing’s role in such incidents; but as Research Fellow Dr Claire Warrington of the University of York explains, the issue has also highlighted the vulnerability of the police workforce to mental ill-health, and what can be done to meet those challenges.

ANALYSIS: Over recent weeks all the UK’s main political parties have held their annual conferences – potentially the last major party gatherings that will be held before general election as well as police and crime commissioner elections in 2024; Policing Insight’s Thomas James looks back at the key speeches from the events to highlight the police and crime discussions taking place, and the calls and commitments shared with delegates around law and order.

OPINION: With UK policing facing a decline in public trust and confidence, officer morale hitting new lows, and a seemingly endless barrage of bad news and attacks from the media, Edge Hill University Senior Policing Lecturer Owen West, a former chief superintendent, believes the time is right for a unified staff association for the profession of policing to advocate on behalf of the service and reclaim the strategic narrative.

INTERVIEW: As with many other police forces, Queensland Police Service (QPS) is looking to improve the representation of female officers across the workforce; new research from QPS Detective Chief Inspector Mike Newman suggests that instilling more confidence in female officers, and addressing inherent biases in selection processes, will be crucial in ensuring female officers progress through the ranks at the same rate as their male counterparts, as he explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

FEATURE: The most recent member survey carried out by the New Zealand Police Association has highlighted a drop in morale, with officers voicing concerns over increased levels of crime and violence, the need for more mentoring and support, and a shortage of frontline resources despite the recruitment boost of 1,800 additional officers, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: This week Detective Chief Superintendent Paul Fotheringham retires from policing, and from his role as President of the Police Superintendents’ Association, a post he has held for the past 18 months; in this article he looks back over his policing career and his work with the PSA, in particular around officer wellbeing, ensuring everyone in the service has a voice, and the fight for fair reward and conditions.

OPINION: Policing in the UK and internationally seemingly struggles to find the best approach to using social media, with forces and officers either criticised for not being proactive enough, or drawn into controversy as situations go viral; former police officer Oliver Laurence, now a policing consultant, looks at some of the recent challenges that have faced the UK’s largest force in its use of Twitter and X (caution this article contains content that may upset some readers).

FEATURE: As the impact of climate change on policing continues to be discussed around the world, the UK’s recently updated National Risk Register has highlighted some of the key threats to safety and security, including environmental risks; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at one of those threats – flooding – in more detail, and explores the policing and emergency services planned response, as well as EU research in reducing disaster risk.

FEATURE: Concerns over the wellbeing of investigators – particularly those involved in sexual offence cases – has been raised in a number of reports and reviews, but recent efforts to focus on those issues has helped to significantly reduce the number of unfilled detective vacancies; ahead of next month’s Investigator Wellbeing Week of Action, Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons spoke to organiser Sarah-Jayne Bray about the aims of the event and the difference the renewed focus is making to officer and staff wellbeing.