Introducing Spencer Wragg - the Chair Elect of Hampshire Police Federation

28 October 2024

Spencer Wragg is the Chair Elect of Hampshire Police Federation - and will take up his position as Chair on 1 December.

Q: Congratulations on your new role. How does it feel to be elected by your peers as Chair of Hampshire Police Federation?

A: I’m really pleased, it’s an exciting opportunity. We know that around 42% of members turned out to vote, so that’s positive too. There’s a long way to go to get those numbers up, but it’s a good start. It’s important that people are engaged in the Federation, so this turnout is a sound place to start from for the future.

Q: Why did you want to run for the Chair role?

A: I’ve got experience in working right across the force, in many jobs. I’ve worked at all levels of the organisation and it just feels that the time is right for me to take this step. I’ve got good connections so I can raise issues and get problems resolved. I still care passionately about the job, and that’s a really important part of it for me.

Q: What are some of the issues that you want to tackle first?

A: One of the things I’ve identified straight away is that the whole force feels stretched. We hear that time and time again. I want to look at getting people to take their rest days, being able to unplug that laptop, turn off the mobile, and enjoy some time off – officers should be able to get away from work and look after themselves. We’ve got a culture of not being able to switch off, answering emails in the middle of the night on holiday, those types of things. We need to change that culture.

Q: How realistic is that though? Cops are ‘can do’ people, and find it hard to switch off.

A: Absolutely, and I think it’s really important we have that ‘can do’ attitude – when people need us, we’re there for them. But we’re not seeing mass disorder every day, we’re not dealing with major incidents all of the time. When we do, we really need our officers to be able to step up and put in those extra hours that are required. But if we’re doing that on a day-to-day basis, then there’s no room for maneuver, there’s no way we can enhance our provisions when needed. At the moment, people are working flat-out all of the time, and they need to take time out to rest and recuperate. We know that the stresses and strains of policing aren’t changing, they’re probably getting worse. If we’re not taking time off, that’s only going to affect people.

Q: What’s your plan for the first 100 days in your role?

A: It’s visibility, it’s about being out there. A lot of people around the force know me and a lot of people have worked with me in the past. But it’s about getting the Federation out there, involved, picking up on the issues that officers have, but also finding out members’ ideas and solutions for those issues. The chief officer group is not the only place where good ideas happen. They’re just the ones who implement it. I’m sure there’s some really good solutions to the issues that we face, and it’s my job to promote those and get the right people in front of the chief officer group for those decisions to be made.

Q: Are you planning to go out on patrol to speak to officers?

A: Yes, I’m going out on shift and I’ve already got some shifts planned. It’s also about being at the stations so people will come and speak to us. But it’s not all about me, I want to support all of our Federation reps in also being visible, they do this role on top of their day job and they are in and amongst the teams across the force all of the time. If we are more visible then members may be more inclined to engage, to talk about a personal issue, or a team issue, or it might be something force-wide that we need to be aware of.

Q: You’ve talked about making the Federation more relevant – what do you mean by that?

A: It’s about our internal communication and letting people know what we’re doing. We’re not going to win every battle. And not every issue needs to be a battle. But what’s important is that the members know what we are trying to achieve on their behalf. We need them to tell us what the problems are, and we can communicate what we’re doing to address them. Also, we’ve got a whole new generation who are joining policing and they are very different from the generation before. So it’s making sure that the Federation is still fit for purpose for them. When you first join the police and you talk about pensions and saving plans, it’s not always the first thing on your mind. But it’s really important that we remember that the younger-in-service officers are the least well paid. We need to be able to support them just as much as we do those who are about to retire and need help with pensions.

Q: So you’re trying to make the Federation more relevant to everyone?

A: Around two thirds of the force have fewer than five years’ service. That’s a massive proportion and it’s increasing. I’m fairly confident to say that most of the younger-in-service officers may not understand what the Federation is for. They may think it’s there if you end up in trouble, and we’ll be able to assist you – but nothing else. But there’s so much more that we can do, so that we can support everybody through their policing career.

Q: How can colleagues get in touch if they want to raise something?

A: Firstly there is most likely a local rep in their station or at least in one near by, go talk to them. Contact the office via email, phone, look on the Hampshire Federation website and see what is available to you. There’s several ways you can get hold of us. It’s important that we know what’s going on and that we take that seriously –  and that officers can see our efforts to resolve issues and the results.

Q: If you were in a lift with the Chief Constable, what would be your quick message to him?

A: I’d say, how do we work together, to make things better for everybody? The Chief has worked his way through the force, from PC upwards. I know he cares passionately about policing, but it’s about us as a Federation challenging him and his team, but also working together in order to improve things for all of the members. I’m convinced that the roughly 3,500 members out there will have ideas and or solutions to issues the force and members face. It’s about getting those ideas and solutions to the Chief Constable, because I know he’ll want to listen and its my job to ensure that he does.

Q: Finally, what’s your message to Federation members?

A: Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be Chair, it’s not a position I take lightly. Get engaged, tell us what is going on and how you think it can be solved.