Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) - UK

INNOVATION: The fully automated Trauma Tracker system launched by Avon and Somerset Police will enable line managers and wellbeing professionals to proactively manage workforce exposure to trauma, as well as giving officers and staff regular updates on the possible impact that traumatic incidents may have on their wellbeing, as Inspector Stuart King explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

OPINION: As debates continues about the Met Police’s use of the AI-based Palantir system to covertly identify corruption and misconduct among officers, Leeds Trinity University Policing Lecturer Adam Stokes, a former police officer, argues that one question which needs to be asked is not whether the algorithm can be trusted when it comes to supervision, but why the humans could not be.

OPINION: Until UK policing learns to look after its workforce better, the communities it serves will never really be safe, warns Graham Goulden, a former officer with a 30-year career and now a strong advocate for safe and supportive workplaces, who argues that the active bystander approach could help to change policing culture to provide the support that officers and staff need, and the service communities deserve.

FEATURE: The latest report on the Police Covenant – the commitment introduced by the Government to ensure that current and former police officers, staff, and their families in England and Wales are supported and treated with fairness and respect – has highlighted significant developments including around health and wellbeing and suicide prevention, but has called for more to be done to ensure the police workforce is aware of the support available, reports Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

PRIZE DRAW WINNER: Results from the UK Police Digital Experience Survey 2025, carried out by Policing Insight and backed by the Home Office, National Police Chiefs’ Council, Police Federation of England & Wales, and the Police Digital Service, will shortly be published, providing a full picture of the digital technology experiences of officers and staff; and for Victim Care Officer Aimee Edwards, the prize draw winner picked from more than 6,600 survey respondents, it also led to a new hi-tech fitness watch.

INTERVIEW: Dorset Police’s Survivors’ Network was launched after several officers who came forward to complain of harassment, inappropriate behaviour and abuse found they lacked support; Chief Superintendent Julie Howe, who launched the award-winning initiative, explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons that the network is now helping to drive cultural change around misogyny and violence against women and girls, including those experiencing abuse in their private lives.

INTERVIEW: Hertfordshire Constabulary Sergeant James Stopford, a full-time Police Federation of England and Wales representative, hopes a personal “passion project” to highlight the risks associated with gambling – which can have a devastating impact on those already affected by trauma – can help to raise awareness of the dangers among colleagues in his own force and others across the country, as he explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

OPINION: With the hugely concerning levels of suicide among police officers and staff, highlighted most recently by the Police Federation of England and Wales, the service’s response to those struggling with poor mental health is increasingly under the spotlight; former senior Police Scotland officer Ryan MacDonald, now a writer and speaker on trauma and resilience, shares his own experiences of the deafening silence some officers encounter when disclosing their personal mental health challenges.

ANALYSIS: The UK Government’s recently published white paper on police reform included proposals for a Senior National Co-ordinator for public order policing, to be based in the new National Police Service; Policing Insight’s Graham Wettone, a former Metropolitan Police officer and public order specialist, explores the proposals outlined in the paper, as well as setting out the need for a wider review of approaches to public order policing as part of the reform process.

FEATURE: In the latest in The Police Student series focusing on Community and Neighbourhood Policing, Policing Insight Academic Editor Dr Carina O’Reilly explores the issues of police visibility and public perception, its impact on reassurance and confidence in policing, and the effectiveness of foot patrols.

FEATURE: The UK Government’s long-awaited white paper on police reform in England and Wales, published today, sets out proposals for the creation of a new National Police Service with responsibility for serious and organised crime, counter-terrorism and setting national standards, a move away from the 43-force model to fewer regional forces, the introduction of a ‘licence to practise’ for officers, and powers for the Home Secretary to sack under-preforming chief constables, reports Policing Insight’s Keith Potter.

OPINION: With the UK Government’s police reform white paper finally emerging, police leadership is once again due to come under the spotlight; police ethics advisor Montell Neufville, and Kimberley C. Lamb, Director of Legitimacy and Public Service for Bedfordshire Police, set out why this opportunity to create a new leadership model for policing, widen the talent pool, and introduce diverse, standardised, independent selection panels, could strengthen leadership legitimacy and professionalism while building greater public and internal trust.

OPINION: As policing in England and Wales moves towards meeting the Government’s Neighbourhood Policing commitment, former South Wales Police detective Steve Dodd, a subject matter expert on intelligence professionalisation and advocate of the community intelligence-led policing methodology (CILPM), explores how the approach can re-establish trust between modern-day policing and communities, and prevent neighbourhood policing from becoming a white elephant.

ANALYSIS: Following the announcement earlier this month that the role of police and crime commissioners (PCCs) in England and Wales will be abolished in 2028, Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett looks at the background to the decision, reaction to it, and the challenges that will arise – from potential force boundary changes to the likelihood of increased politicisation of governance – which mean that the end of the PCC experiment is going to be much more than just an administrative change.

OPINION: Following the announcement by UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood last week of the abolition of police and crime commissioners as a “failed experiment”, Ron Winch, Associate Professor in Policing at Birmingham City University, considers whether this current decision could indicate a more radical reform agenda to be unveiled in the forthcoming policing white paper, including the replacement of the 43-force model with the introduction of ‘mega-forces’.

OPINION: Previous surveys by the Police Federation of England and Wales revealed the impact on female officers of experiencing the menopause while working in policing, and the scale of the problem; now new research by PC Beverley Beck of Dorset Police has highlighted how the institutional neglect of menopause contributes to the early exit of talented and experienced female officers, as well as the good practice underway in some forces to address the issues and support officers.

INTERVIEW: The ‘Breaking The Monopoly’ movement is challenging the Police Act 1996 in England and Wales, with campaigners arguing that the current law grants the Police Federation of England & Wales a monopoly on police representation, hindering officers from establishing or joining other representative bodies; as the campaign seeks a declaration that the legislation violates the European Convention on Human Rights, Policing Insight’s Martin Buhagiar spoke to Greater Manchester Police PC Lee Broadbent, who is leading the charge.

INTERVIEW: Following the recent launch of a new Mental Health Crisis Line offering around the clock support to police officers and staff in England and Wales who are experiencing a mental health crisis or suicidal thoughts, Andy Rhodes – Service Director for Oscar Kilo, which has commissioned the service – spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about the reasons behind the launch, how the line will operate, and why he was “worried but proud” to do something positive about saving lives.

FEATURE: With the policing landscape changing “faster than ever”, Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) Learning and Development lead David Bamber, and Dr Sean Bell, Lecturer in Policing Organisation and Practice at the Open University, explain why the two organisations are working together to introduce a “fully accredited, recognised and validated programme in professional practice” for PFEW reps to ensure they have the skills required to take on a role that is “becoming more challenging”.

FEATURE: A Home Office-commissioned evaluation of the UK police use of naloxone highlights that not only is the opioid overdose reversal medication a potential life-saver, but its wider carriage by officers could help to build more trust and stronger relationships with drug-using communities – if challenges can be addressed around training and data collection, collaboration with healthcare agencies on handover and aftercare, and officers’ own stigma around drug users, reports Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

INTERVIEW: The Suicide Trauma Education Prevention (STEP) initiative initially launched in Hampshire Police is now looking to extend nationally and raise awareness among senior UK officers; STEP founder Spencer Wragg told Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about the call for mandatory Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) referrals for every officer or member of staff who attends a suicide, the need for a review of the impact of discipline investigations, and how his own experiences have shaped his approach to the issue.

OPINION: The Police Superintendents’ Association (PSA) and the Superintendents’ Association of Northern Ireland recently submitted evidence to the Police Remuneration Review Body on pay and conditions, calling for (amongst other things) a fully funded 4.8% pay rise across all ranks, and a new health and wellbeing structure for officers and staff; PSA National Secretary Chief Superintendent Warren Franklin explains the reasoning behind the submission, and the need for a long-term strategy going forwards.

FEATURE: The first report in a two-part review of the police response to extensive disorder across England and Wales last summer has praised officers for their “immense bravery”, but has highlighted concerns over the capacity and capability of forces to respond to such widespread violent disorder, the speed with which resources are mobilised, and the wellbeing support for frontline officers, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: Senior police leaders in England and Wales are drafting guidance on governance for the hundreds of staff networks for the first time, but their efforts to establish a consistent framework have already drawn criticism from some groups, and the potential of a legal challenge, as Ian Weinfass reports.