Federation work ‘more important than it has ever been’

19 February 2020

Duncan Prior says the desire to see his colleagues treated ‘fairly and compassionately’ was the driving force behind him becoming a Hertfordshire Police Federation workplace representative.

Duncan, who was first voted into the position in 2015 and re-elected in 2018, says it is hugely rewarding to help colleagues through difficult times and through to the other side.

“My motivation in putting my name forward for election was very simple,” said Duncan, who describes policing as the best job in the world, “I wanted to assist and help my colleagues but, above all, I had a strong desire that they be treated fairly and compassionately.

“It was only by joining the Federation and receiving the training they offered that then allowed me to represent my colleagues to the extent I wanted to.

“I was once guided through the misconduct process by a Fed rep, who supported me every step of the way. That experience stayed with me and served as an insight for me into the difference a Fed rep can make. Officers can complete several years’ service until something goes wrong but, when it does, it can be life-changing.

“Either they make a mistake and face the scrutiny of a misconduct investigation or they get sick. The pressures of what they do build up and it overloads them or they are injured or even hurt in the line of duty. I had no idea the numbers of officers we have in our organisation who need help or representation until I took on this role.  The Federation supports them all.”

Duncan added: “Every member is different and they have different wants and needs but we all have common traits being police officers. Officers at their most desperate or unwell will display a familiar reaction that I have seen several times, tangible frustration, often at themselves when they are trying to quantify what it is they are going through.

“‘This is not me, why am I not me and what do I need to do to get back to being me?’ Police officers always want to find solutions to their problems. As a Fed rep, I can be part of the framework that helps an officer initiate that process and which can return them from the brink. Our intervention can literally put lives and families back together so that the member can recognise themselves in the mirror again. I can think of nothing more rewarding than that.”

One such intervention came when he supported a colleague through a mental health crisis caused by Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

The officer had been off work for 18 months, most of which he spent on a mattress on the floor, when he was contacted by Duncan.

“I learnt of this member’s situation through Federation colleagues,” said Duncan. “We have regular meetings within the Federation which allows us to share our members’ experiences, confidentially, of course, and the case was assigned to me after I expressed an interest in it.

“I don’t believe I did anything special or more than any other Fed rep would do in my approach to the situation. I supported the member for many months through pay appeals and a phased return to work.”

Duncan said he has developed a better understanding of mental ill-health after helping a number of colleagues, and urged officers who are struggling to access the services available to them.

“Police officers are not good in asking for help,” he said, “Why would they be with the role in society they have assigned themselves? It is very difficult for an officer to admit they have a mental ill-health problem and I know many in policing who have hidden one for years.

“Officers are afraid of stigma and ‘what the Force may do about it’. A great concern officers have is that the Force will make public their condition by changing their roles or altering their duties if they disclose it.

“There are mental health services that they can access in private and in confidence and I would urge them to do this, of course.”

Duncan says the work of the Federation for its members is more important today than it has ever been.

He said that when he started policing in 1994 the biggest threat, he felt, was a physical assault or a violent offender. But when he spoke to officers who had been on intervention for a couple of months, he found they feared making a mistake, being investigated, having people talk about them and going through misconduct.

“Within a generation, we’ve changed the mindset of our brave front-line officers who we ask to police our communities,” he said. “We’ve replaced the fear of an external threat with a fear of being investigated or criticised by our own Force as the greatest anxiety for them.

“I find this rather sad and it has created an environment which is poor for our officers’ mental health. We are more understanding and compassionate as a police service now than we were when I joined. We are far more professional, far more intelligent in our application of policing methods and have embraced new ideas and methods of thinking, but policing at its core is no different.

“We need to empower and promote decision-making in our brave operational officers so they do the right thing and take positive action without fear. If they are afraid of criticism then they won’t do it and will stand back.

“Surely we want them to step forward and if they do get it wrong let’s support them if the intention to do good was there.”

Duncan concludes by saying that he feels the Federation, which last year celebrated its 100^th anniversary, has a vital role to play in helping its members.

“The Federation continues to support officers experiencing a range of traumatic issues that each of us have had some experience of, be it personally or witnessed in a colleague,” he explains. “I believe in what it does every day for countless officers and that the Federation is more important than ever.”

Duncan added: “I still believe this is the best job in the world.”