Federation calls for proper consultation on areas to be covered in policing covenant

11 March 2020

A new police covenant which could see police officer welfare protected by law mustn’t bulldoze existing good practices out of the way, Essex Police Federation has warned.

Home Secretary Priti Patel has launched a consultation period on the covenant, first proposed by her predecessor Sajid Javid.

She says protecting officers from assaults and injury while they are on duty is one of her top priorities as part of reducing what she calls the ‘epidemic’ of attacks on officers.

The covenant would focus on officers’ and police staff members’ health and wellbeing and enshrine the support they receive in law.

Steve Taylor, Essex Police Federation Chairman, says the covenant would be ‘positive and progressive’ for officers but wants to ensure practices such as TRiM are not scrapped to make way for any new legislation.

“It’s good that we are consulting on the covenant because even such a progressive and positive thing does come with issues,” he said.

“We want to ensure that TRiM, [Trauma Risk Incident Management] isn’t railroaded out of the way by some of these other kind of welfare schemes or welfare programmes.

“We’ve got some things that work. Let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater.”

The covenant appears to be ushering in a new era for relations between Whitehall and policing after the service was mauled by cuts under the previous administration.

“It’s great that police officer welfare is getting the prominence that it deserves and that we are seriously talking, as a national service, around better welfare provision for our members- it can only be a good thing,” Steve said.

Announcing the consultation period Ms Patel said; “I’m making the physical protection of officers my top priority. That means giving you the kit you need to stay safe,” she said.

“But protecting officers is not just about equipment.

“The utterly appalling rise in attacks shows that. We need a strong deterrent to make these thugs think twice.

“The Police Covenant is a pledge to do more as a nation to help those who serve our country,” she added.

“To ensure our pride in the police pays off in practice. To recognise the bravery, commitment, and sacrifices of serving and former officers.”