As we approach the end of another busy year, it is not lost on me the challenges we have faced over the last 12 months, and those that await us on the horizon as we enter 2025.

Global and national events continue to manifest into real pressures which have impacted local communities and families, which in turn has provided resourcing pressures for us in many ways.

A recent change of Government, identified reviews, further scrutiny, and no doubt increased efforts to do more with less and be more efficient with what we have, will only add to that pressure.  

These have been compounded at force level as we deal with new ways of working, finite budgets, fine tune our investigative prowess under HMICFRS scrutiny and attempt to maintain skills sets across all departmental cadres as demands and workload pressures remain high, all at a time when we work with the Executive, who acknowledge those challenges, but are seemingly constrained when it comes to affecting change without upsetting the status quo elsewhere.

Recent news around suspensions also sets us challenges, which you will be aware from the most recent Executive Message is a challenge that we have encountered before, and one which we will rise to. We must however not speculate, respect privacy, and allow due process to take place, however unsettling that may be.  

We are due to see Federation elections take place in the very near future, and I hope to see further communication and clarity on the process to be promulgated, so we can continue to build on the valuable work done locally for so many years.

This has been a tough year for a number of reasons, and there is much change afoot at PFEW HQ - some of which I agree with, some I do not, and some I find distasteful - hence the focus is and must be to this Branch, its members and the new Council and Board that will oversee business into 2025.
 
This is an important year, and an important election as both Jim and I, as your Secretary and Chair, will retire in the spring. We want to ensure the future of the local Federation - a Federation that has been pivotal in supporting members in their time of need, together with negotiating and influencing on force wide matters that affect day to day business – and continue to deliver across the board. 

Strong, effective but joined up Representation, Influencing and Negotiation must be the most effective and productive route forward.

Consistency and continuity are important for us all in such demanding of times, so I hope all those that have a desire to take on a challenge, provide new opportunities for fresh ideas, collaborative thinking and making a difference in supporting a colleague, will make their voices heard when the elections commence, and will continue to support you, the members, in delivering to the projected demand and public need. 

If you have an appetite to support members locally, or maybe influence decisions nationally, then this will be your opportunity.

On a lighter note, you may have noticed some tubs of chocolates appear around stations and policing hubs. 

I took the decision this year to attempt to spread a little joy, a thankless task when you look at logistics, locations and numbers involved. 

My BCU colleagues have done a sterling job with this task, but there will always be someone, somewhere that misses out, either because we have missed a location, or others have emptied the supply. 

I apologise now if that is you but hope you will appreciate our intent of giving a little something back, a theme which will run into next year with several high-profile Federation events lined up, which we hope you will find of benefit, re-energising our desire to make that difference at a local level.

Whilst many of us will be working or on-call over the Christmas period, I hope you will be able to step off the carousel and take some precious and valuable time out to spend time with family and loved ones. 

In the meantime, I wish you a peaceful Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year.