Experienced Fed rep outlines commitments to members as branch health and safety lead

18 September 2025

From the earliest days of his policing career, new branch health and safety lead David Hunter was always passionate about the welfare of his colleagues.

David joined the Force in 2004, and became a Federation representative just three years later - with an ambition to ‘take on extra responsibilities as a Fed rep and help others while still making his own way in the profession’.

For some time, he served as deputy health and safety lead before entering his new role earlier this year, with one of his main drivers being ‘potential dangers in the workplace which he simply couldn’t ignore’.

“Even back when I first took on the role of deputy health and safety lead, I felt I could spot things which in my mind were fundamentally wrong or in opposition to the rights of workers in the police,” said Chief Inspector David.

New branch health and safety lead David Hunter

“And when it came to health and safety matters, I always realised the power the legislation held. So, I knew that if the legislation was right, you could really get stuff done and make meaningful change happen, and that has really motivated me over the years.

“As early as my second posting in Selby, I remember being frustrated with the dangers of our vehicle fleet and of the way we were expected to carry equipment, and that was only the start. Since then, I’ve been able to bring attention to all sorts of issues through the Federation and make things better for my fellow officers.

“And my commitment to keep doing this is as strong as ever.”

Outlining his priorities in the role, David shared his aim to keep the Force accountable by emphasising a collective responsibility to care for health and safety – whether that’s ‘cleaning staff or the Chief Constable’.

Unified approach

Equally, he argued the Federation must also play its part to ensure a unified approach is maintained and the entire health and safety chain is ‘operating properly from start to finish’.

“I want the Federation’s commitment to health and safety to be as visible as possible. This can be achieved through all reps being fully trained and familiarised, and then at least one of these reps being present at every Force building inspection,” he continued.

“The power of a dedicated and empowered Fed rep should never be underestimated – throughout all my experience, that’s never changed.

“Essentially, my areas of focus align with the four Federation priorities at national level. I’ve already touched on three of them, so the other one to mention is the Target Fatigue initiative.

“I’ve suffered from fatigue personally, and it simply isn’t sustainable to deliver safe and effective policing. I think a lot of officers reach burnout before they realise they’re fatigued, and this can compromise their safety at work as well as their performance and mental health.”

Wellbeing

David, who currently works on a command team in the Force, went on to discuss the relationship between health and safety and an officer’s psychological wellbeing in more detail.

“For me, health and safety isn’t taken as seriously as it should be in many ways – fire safety, building safety, even car park safety when I’ve encountered inadequate lighting at different police stations,” he added.

“And because it can be seen as a very practical matter – which does have its advantages, as I acknowledged with legislation – the psychological side can often be overlooked.

“It’s not just the obvious, unavoidable incidents which can cause an officer trauma. It’s also the near misses which can happen away from the frontline and impact them for a very long time.

“That’s why I’d also like to see some re-education on what health and safety is, because it’s too easy to add something to the ‘just part of the job’ pile for police officers, and these kinds of incidents should never be accepted as that.”

Health and safety

According to David, it is misconceptions like these which feed into a lack of awareness from officers around their health and safety entitlements and the issues that may affect them in the future, however unlikely they seem.

Nevertheless, the 41-year-old says he is more than ready to keep fighting for these rights himself.

“I’m prepared to continue being the annoying bee buzzing around, keeping people accountable and representing, influencing and negotiating for every single layer of protection possible for our members – to ensure they are as safe as possible while doing one of the most dangerous jobs in society.

“To do that, I need to work with both the Force’s commanders and health, safety and wellbeing teams, as well as our police staff unions and networks.

“Using my knowledge, passion and voice is what I do and what I give to my colleagues – even if it’s behind the scenes – and that will always remain the case.”