2024 has been a challenging year for police officers.

We saw the violent disorder that took place over the summer nationally and here in Cleveland we experienced it more than many. There were many officers injured as a result of this disorder and many who are still recovering from their injuries now.

So our thoughts and best wishes remain with those officers.

We saw changes in the Government and its leadership following on from the General Election. We received the 4.75% pay rise which was a step in the right direction, however it is still way below the level that it needs to be.

Looking to 2025 we hope that the Government will recognise the challenges policing faced in 2024, juxtaposed with the unique position police officers are in, and use this as an indicator for where we should be with our pay and the equality of that pay against the rate of inflation.

We are looking forward to the increased number of officers as promised by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and I will be keen to see how that materialises. We need to make sure that those officers are deployed effectively to not only manage the demand within communities but also to ensure the welfare of our existing officers who are currently overworked and underpaid.

Christmas and New Year are of course no holiday for police officers and policing.

Over the Christmas period we as a Federation continue to support our officers, and we thank those officers who have sacrificed Christmas with their own families, so that our communities can be safe in theirs.