Fed rep ensuring inspectors’ voices are heard

29 April 2026

Supporting the inspecting ranks and ensuring their voices are heard is a key priority for Dyfed Powys Police Federation rep Detective Inspector Anthea Ponting.

Anthea has served as a Federation rep for the past year and says that advocating for and supporting colleagues is richly rewarding.

“I’ve found it really enjoyable,” she said. “It’s great to be able to support colleagues and learn more about what the Federation does and how we can help officers.”

While the Federation represents officers from constable to chief inspector rank, Anthea felt the needs of the inspecting ranks can sometimes be overlooked.

 

Detective Inspector Anthea Ponting.

Picture credit: Dyfed Powys Police.

 

“Inspectors and chief inspectors are still part of the Federation, but people don’t always think of them in the same way as officers on the ground,” she said.

“It’s nice to represent them, to give them a voice, and to try to identify come of the concerns they have that may not have been picked up previously.”

The role also involves supporting inspectors as supervisors in navigating policies and processes.

“It’s not just about helping someone if something has gone wrong,” she said. “Inspectors are also responsible for managing processes that affect their teams, and sometimes they need guidance or reassurance around that.”

Fed rep

Her decision to become a Federation rep was shaped by her own experience when stepping into a leadership role.

“When I became an acting inspector, I realised there were things I wasn’t sure about, things like pay implications and increments,” she said.

“It was also what I needed in my role to support my staff and support me.

“It highlighted a gap in my knowledge, and I thought that if I didn’t know then there would be others in the same position.”

Inspecting ranks

She says having representation from the inspecting ranks is particularly important because colleagues may feel more comfortable discussing certain issues with someone at a similar level.

“We have more Federation reps in the police constable, detective constable and sergeant ranks,” Anthea said. “So it’s important inspectors and chief inspectors know they have that support too.”

The welfare of inspectors and chief inspectors is another area Anthea is keen to strengthen.

While systems exist to monitor workloads for constables and sergeants, she believes there is more to be done to support inspecting ranks.

“There is a specific sort of way of recording how many hours PCs, DCs, and sergeants are working, but it's not quite the same for the inspector ranks and there is a big gap.

Improving welfare

“It's certainly one of the things that I'm looking at, how we can better record and manage welfare.”

Anthea’s policing career spans more than 30 years and several roles. She first joined Dyfed Powys Police as a Special Constable in 1994 before serving for four years as a PC with Gwent.

She left policing for a period in the early 2000s, before returning to Gwent as a staff member in protecting vulnerable people (PVP).

Anthea rejoined Dyfed Powys Police as a police officer in 2009, returned to PVP as a DC in 2013 and earned promotions to sergeant and then to detective inspector in the protecting vulnerable people unit in August 2023, and continues to serve in that role.

Women in policing

Anthea said she has seen positive changes in the representation of women in policing.

She also pointed to the presence of women in senior leadership roles over the years as a sign of progress.

“In the time I’ve been in policing, there is a fairer balance of women officers,” she said.

“We’ve had women in senior ranks including chief superintendent and previously a female chief constable, deputy chief constable, and assistant chief constables.”

“We may not be at 50–50, but the Force does strive to be inclusive.”

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