Cleveland Police Federation Sets Up Food Bank For Officers

13 January 2023

Cleveland Police Federation is starting a food bank for officers who are struggling to feed themselves and their families in the cost-of-living crisis.

The news comes as a survey revealed that a shocking 10% of Cleveland Police officers never or almost never had enough money to cover their essentials. The Police Federation of England and Wales’ Pay and Morale Survey also found that 88% of Cleveland Police officers felt worse off financially than they were five years ago.

The food banks will be in each of the force’s four stations for people to donate items. The Federation will then collect the food and bring it to its building in Stockton-on-Tees for officers in financial difficulty to come and take away what they need.

Cleveland Police Federation Chair Stephen Williams-Reader said: “We’ve allocated an area in the Federation HQ with food parcels ready to go. People can get easy, unsupervised access to get what they need, without facing any embarrassment.

“Some people might need things for their kids’ packed lunches or cover themselves for the week. The aim is for it to be accessible to all.

“We hope to have the food bank ready from the end of next week and people can come anytime, Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm. We’ve always got staff on the premises, and it’s a sensitive, quiet building where you can trust it will be discreet. And if officers have any questions for us, they can talk to us in confidence.”

Stephen said that he had spoken to a number of officers over the past year who were struggling to make ends meet.

He said: “We know this problem is very real for our officers. This time last year, in January 2022, I went public that our police officers and staff were using external food banks. We wanted to acknowledge this problem and help them out ourselves.

“Our officers are putting their lives on the line every day to protect the public. But those same officers are struggling to pay their bills and feed their families. Why? Because the Government is continuing to neglect the protectors with a pay deal that’s well below inflation.

“We’re having cost-of-living meetings with the force and I’ve been banging the drum for our members. It’s a hard pill to swallow that cops are having to resort to food banks.”

Stephen said that the Federation was also planning a clothing collection point, stocking essential items such as winter coats, shoes and school uniforms.