Federation chair hopes conference will expose issues in policing

1 May 2018

Leicestershire Police Federation chair Tiff Lynch hopes this year’s annual national Police Federation conference will further highlight the need for action on some serious issues in policing.

The conference, which will be held at Birmingham’s ICC on 22 and 23 May and has the theme of ‘Protecting the Protectors – the reality of policing’ - will see MPs take the stand as keynote speakers to address Federation delegates from across England and Wales.

And Leicestershire Chief Constable Simon Cole, who is the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead on local policing, will also be a panel member for a debate on counter-terrorism.

“I am looking forward to hearing what Mr Cole has to say on this issue since clearly effective local policing has such an important part to play in the right against terrorism,” says Tiff, who will attend the conference with Leicestershire Police Federation secretary Matt Robinson and a number of workplace representatives.

“But I am also pleased to see that Protecting the Protectors is the key theme of conference. It is time officers were given greater protection from those who choose to assault them and there needs to be a bigger deterrent in place to stop that happening.

“The increase in violent crime nationally needs addressing too and that ties in with various issues that have arisen due to Government cuts to funding and resources.

“The physical fatigue and mental welfare issues affecting our members are growing, while more and more forces are finding themselves stretched beyond capacity due to lack of numbers on the streets.

“These issues must be put at the forefront of the minds of those in positions of power and conference will give us a chance to hear views from all sides and debate the best way forward for the future of the police and the communities we protect.”

Calum Macleod, chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, says a lot of work has gone into planning the two-day conference and he hopes it will be one of the most interactive to date with more time allowed for delegates to ask questions.

“I am delighted that we will be joined by a number of stakeholders and opinion formers from the world of policing, not to mention some inspiring colleagues who have agreed to come on stage to share their stories,” he says.

“Over the course of two days, we will be in the presence of a number of MPs – some more supportive than others.  We are grateful to those who are helping to change legislation and we are optimistic of the opportunities conference brings to lobby further.  It is rare to have cross-party officials under one roof, focusing solely on policing.”

Calum will be one of the keynote speakers on Day 2 where issues of pay and conditions, counter-terrorism and the crisis facing detectives’ recruitment will also be featured.

The Protect the Protectors campaign is the main session on Day 1 when speakers from the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) will also address delegates. The afternoon will see break-out sessions discussing fatigue, women in policing and stop and search.

The conference ends with a Q & A session involving police minister Nick Hurd and the shadow minister, Louise Haigh, ahead of the Federation’s annual general meeting.