Cleveland Police Federation welfare van keeps officers warm, fed and watered at COP26

16 November 2021

Police officers working away from home at COP26 were kept warm, fed and watered thanks to Cleveland Police Federation’s Welfare Van. 

The modified police van is equipped with a bathroom and hot-drink-making facilities to keep officers comfortable during a chilly two plus weeks in and around Glasgow. 

Richie Murray, Secretary of Cleveland Police Federation, travelled to Scotland to ensure officers’ welfare was taken care of and any problems sorted out. 

He said: “We wanted to make sure members could go through the whole deployment knowing that if there were any issues, that the Federation were on site. 

“We were providing hot drinks and the toilet facilities for the officers in their remote locations, where they couldn’t get away. So it was a great benefit. It was seen publicly by the Chief Constable of Police Scotland Iain Livingstone who I spoke to.

“He came and spoke to us and thanked us for our efforts, and recognised that it was a piece that they’d probably not really thought about. So it was really good.”

Richie added: “We also looked after the officers’ accommodations and made sure things were right. There were some mishaps, however it seemed to run smoothly and there weren’t as many arrests as they anticipated up in Police Scotland, which was a credit to the officers there.’”

Officers from across the nation were part of the mutual aid policing operation for COP26.

Richie said it was a ‘real success’ and that the Federation will be taken to Birmingham next year to help at the Commonwealth Games.

He added: “The van made a massive difference. There was a lot of positive feedback. Officers were very grateful. They came, had a hot cup of coffee or a hot chocolate with cream, marshmallows and sprinkles on the top and went away feeling good.”

The van was kept busy throughout the night, and representatives handed out porridge to the officers carrying out the morning shifts.