This week, the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) hosted a two-day Post Incident Procedure Training Seminar at Federation House.

The successful event, with more than 150 delegates in attendance, invited workplace reps, post incident managers, chief officers, firearms officers, custody officers and force incident managers, to provide them with the tools to help officers deal with difficult situations after a severe injury or death. 

PFEW National Chair Steven Hartshorn and PIP Lead Leigh Godfrey opened the seminar with Steve saying: "Post incident procedures are an important aspect of any investigation involving severe injury or death, that must be conducted correctly to provide trust and confidence to all involved.

Day one provided valuable insight into Acute Behaviour Disturbance, a session delivered by Sam Hawkins, Norfolk Police Federation secretary, who presented a case study of several officers who faced an individual who was suffering from ABD, which sadly proved to be fatal. She described the process that helped those officers who were on the scene and talked through her own experience of conducting a PIP.

Next up was Anthony Williams from JNP Legal, addressing some of the concerns and challenges linked to a DSI investigation that happened to fall out of the PIP process. He touched on the consequences of not conducting the process properly and why it is vital to carry it out to ensure the welfare of the officers involved. 

Afterwards, delegates were invited to network, share their experiences with colleagues, and enjoy virtual reality in a heavy-duty truck provided by the main sponsor, Axon.

We spoke to Alex Lowe, Regional Director, UK and Ireland, at Axon, who expressed his gratitude in being able partner up with the event. 

He said: “It's been amazing to be able to land this substantial truck here and to get such a volume of individuals being able to come and experience what Axon is all about and see our commitment and partnership with the federation that's come through this.

“Thanks to all of those who have been instrumental in making this happen. I really appreciate all of your time and effort in making it such a success.”

Scott Ingram, a lawyer, kicked off day two by focusing on an objective interpretation of the use of force and the subsequent impact on key police witnesses, which proves vital during a PIP.

Colin Reynolds, a solicitor at Reynolds Dawson, delved into the vulnerability of key police witnesses and highlighted the importance of a Fed rep’s role and how they prove valuable in helping officers. 

From across the pond, Professor Jonathan Page provided an exciting session by diving into unconscious bias, police training and the unconscious brain, providing group tasks to see how well our brains adapted to specific situations. He also showcased techniques adopted by US police forces that helped officers deal with threatening situations.

Professor Fiona Gabbert raised awareness of memory recall techniques by presenting to the audience proven strategies to help officers access critical information in the aftermath of a traumatic scene. 

Wrapping up the two-day event, Professor Jonathan Page and Fiona Gabbert, along with Kevin Nicolson from the College of Policing and Anthony Williams, joined our panel discussion with Leigh Godfrey on Approved Professional Practice.

 

A massive thank you to all our sponsors, Axon, No1 CopperPot, Hempsons, hcr solicitors, No5 Barristers Chambers, JNP Legal and George Burrows.