Federation wants to hear from members as it launches Week of Visibility

15 January 2026

Hertfordshire Police Federation is launching a Week of Visibility to highlight its work and the support available for officers, and to hear directly from members themselves.

Taking place in the week starting 26 January, the initiative will see full-time Federation representatives and workplace reps visiting police stations, departments, and briefings across the Force area.

Full-time representative Sergeant James Stopford said the week aimed to show members the range of representation and services the Federation provides.

And he said it would give members the chance to talk to reps about their experiences, concerns, and priorities for the year ahead.

 

Sergeant James Stopford

 

“Our Week of Visibility is about getting out and about and highlighting our workplace Federation reps, the different teams they represent, and the work they do,” James said.

“We have reps in response policing, neighbourhood policing, CID, traffic, firearms, and more.

“We have a broad range of reps who are adding their voices to conversations on behalf of members.”

Throughout the week, reps will be visiting stations, departments, and team briefings armed with information about the Federation’s work in 2025 and its plans for 2026.

Questions

Officers will be encouraged to ask questions, raise concerns and provide feedback, which will then be fed back into the branch.

There will also be targeted engagement in some areas, such as in the Force Control Room, where growing numbers of officers are backfilling roles.

“It’s about hearing directly from officers on the ground and how they’re finding work, what they want from us,” James said.

“What do they want from us in the year ahead.

“We want to hear their feedback about the Federation locally and nationally, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

“We don’t always shout about the work we do, because of the nature of what we deal with, but this is a chance to highlight some of what we’ve achieved and to listen.”

James has been a Federation representative for eight years and in his full-time role since January 2025.

Support

He said he was motivated to support colleagues from personal experience.

“I first became a Fed rep after I was subject to a misconduct investigation,” he said.

“It was the support of my then Fed rep Luke Mitchell, who is now the branch chair, which made a real difference.

“He wasn’t able to guarantee anything, but he was able to explain a lot, and it made the whole thing a lot better.

“It made me want to pass on that sort of help to other members.”

James said the branch was committed to member engagement and that the upcoming Week of Visibility was a part of that commitment.

Engaging

“This isn’t just about one week, we’re engaging all the time,” he said. “In my first year as a full-time Fed rep, I’ve been going into stations, listening to members about what’s working, what’s causing stress and what they are concerned about?

“It takes multiple incidents of something before people reach out for help, so we’re hoping this will allow us to get ahead of things.”

James encouraged members to get involved when the Week of Visibility gets underway.

“We’re a membership organisation, and we’re here to represent you,” he said.

“Please engage with the Week of Visibility, speak to us and your workplace reps, and keep reaching out. The earlier we hear about concerns, the quicker we can work towards a resolution.”

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