New priorities identified by Police Covenant Oversight Board

24 May 2023

The Police Covenant Oversight Board (PCOB) has announced it is tackling three new areas of work as it attempts to keep up with the changing face of policing.

The primary focus of the Covenant has always been ensuring the health and wellbeing of serving and former police officers, their physical protection and the support required by their families.

The PCOB initially agreed on 11 key priorities within the parameters set out in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022.

But as a reflection of the rapidly changing nature of police work, three extra priorities have been added to the original list.

They are:

• To identify and implement a package of measures for individuals who have left the police workforce.
• To scope the current support in place in relation to healthcare pathways for the police workforce through further NHS Engagement
• To consider wider issues around police officer and staff safety at the roadside and propose non legislative options to improve safety

A spokesman said: “The Oversight Board will continue to review all priorities throughout the year to consider any further points to add, or the potential combining of priorities.”

Derbyshire Police Federation chair Tony Wetton said he was pleased to see progress being made.

“The Police Federation put a lot of effort into developing the new Police Covenant so I am delighted at the latest update,” he said.

“Our members and their families make a lot of sacrifices and it is only right that they are treated well and given the protections outlined in the Covenant.”

Of the original eleven priorities, three have now been completed and signed off by the PCOB.

The work under the Covenant to consider the issues raised in the Officer and Staff Safety Review have been met through the changes to legislation around assaults on emergency workers brought in by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022.

The workstream to support forces to put in place Operation Hampshire relating to assaults against officers and staff has also been implemented, with data collection on these assaults now a key part of recording practices.

And the third and final completed area of work is the inclusion of mental health training for new officers in initial training, as part of the Policing Education Qualifications Framework (PEQF) developed by the College of Policing.