Seeking Help From Student Officers

23 December 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on all our working lives. However, joining the police service and undertaking the initial training required to be a police officer during the pandemic is likely to create additional challenges for student officers; particularly given the considerable changes many forces have had to make to be able to continue recruiting and training new police officers.

PFEW is looking to understand the experiences of student officers who have joined the police service, and/or have been completing their initial training, during COVID-19 pandemic. This information will help PFEW to make sure that student officers are treated consistently and fairly, regardless of when they joined the police or which police force they serve in. This information will also allow PFEW to lobby the College of Policing, the National Police Chiefs’ Council and individual forces to ensure that the necessary steps are put in place to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic having a longer-term impact on student officers’ careers within the police service.

If you are a student officer, particularly in your first year, and willing to take part in this study then please contact me, Andy Berry, for more information either via force e-mail (my number is 14303) or at aberry@devon.polfed.org