IWD: rep’s pride in supporting police colleagues

9 March 2026

Workplace rep Anya Hanbury says her own experience of being supported by the Federation inspired her to represent her colleagues.

To celebrate International Women’s Day (Sunday 8 March), Anya has shared her motivation for providing colleagues with strong representation and guidance.

Anya said: “I mainly wanted to become a rep because when I was working in London, I went through quite a big IOPC investigation.

“I was looked after really well by my Federation rep.

“When I transferred up to North Yorkshire, I wanted to try to offer colleagues the same service I had.”

Wellbeing

Anya said the experience reinforced the importance of having someone in your corner during the most difficult moments of a policing career.

“I’m very big on officer welfare,” she said. “When people need the Federation, they usually need it at a stressful time.

“Our role is to make sure processes are done properly and fairly, but a big part of it is supporting people and their wellbeing, because that can suffer.”

 

Workplace rep Anya Hanbury

 

Anya is keen to remind supervisors that the Federation is there for them too.

Indeed, part of her rep work involves helping supervisors navigate processes and

“You don't get much training in the police when you become a sergeant on how to manage and how to do the process,” she said.

Treated fairly

“I'd rather a sergeant run something past me, or ask a question to make sure they've got it right, so nobody falls down later on.

“I remind sergeants and inspectors that they are paying Federation members as well. We’re there to make sure everyone is treated fairly and that the right process is followed.”

Anya, who grew up in West Yorkshire, joined the Metropolitan Police Service in 2015.

She worked on response in East London for almost five years before transferring to North Yorkshire Police in January 2020.

The contrast between policing in the capital and North Yorkshire could hardly be greater.

“The idea was to get experience in London and then come back up north,” said Anya, who currently works in the outcome resolution team.

Assaults

“In London, you’ve got the busiest forces with the most officers, and here we’re policing one of the biggest counties geographically but with one of the smallest populations.”

In her Federation role, Anya is also involved in Operation Hampshire, the Oscar Kilo initiative, which aims to prevent and combat assaults on officers.

Anya checks in with officers who have been assaulted on duty and helps to ensure they receive the support they need.

She said: “I take a lot of pride in looking after officers.

“I think it’s really important that our members know we are there for them on a local level and the work we do for them.

“We’ll do everything we can to get them the best possible outcomes.”  

READ MORE: Fed's six-point plan to tackle police suicides.