The Parliamentary business area works on behalf of the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) to engage with parliamentarians at Westminster and Cardiff to further the objectives of the organisation on behalf of our members.

The committee meets quarterly under the chairmanship of the national deputy chair and co-lead and is attended by chairs and representatives from each of the eight regions. Those on the committee are supported by their regional National Board members.

We are assisted in our work by the London-based public affairs company Cicero/AMO, who facilitate introductions and engagement meetings with MPs and our representatives, parliamentary events and monitor how PFEW is regarded by MPs and external political stakeholders.

We are continually arranging round table events with branch board chairs and their relevant MPs and Ministers. These events are routinely held at Portcullis House, thus giving the chairs the opportunity to talk about local and national issues that are directly affecting our members.

The group seeks to influence legislative and policy changes that support the strategic aims and objectives of PFEW 2025; for example, the Protect the Protectors campaign which led to assaults against emergency services workers becoming an aggravated offence.

The committee also lead on the changes to the Emergency Response Drivers legislation. Though the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which was enshrined in law last year, police drivers have greater legal protection thanks to years of campaigning by PFEW.

It was also successful in getting the Police Covenant laid in Parliament and played an integral part in securing a posthumous award for police officers killed in the line of duty as part of its Medals for Heroes campaign, spearheaded by Bryn Hughes, father of Nicola Hughes who was ambushed and killed along with her colleague Fiona Bone in 2012.

PFEW is continuing to press for:

➡️ A pay mechanism that allows proper negotiation and a system of binding arbitration, an integral part of our Copped Enough campaign. Our solution is simple and effective; bring the Police Consultative Forum back under the direct control of the pay review body and appoint a review body member to oversee it.

➡️ Government to address the pay degradation of 21% in real terms since 2010.

➡️ Support for our Simplify DG6 campaign. A change in law would allow the police to share unredacted files with the CPS for a charging decision; only redacting photos, names, etc., if a charge is to be brought. This would free up thousands of hours of police officers’ time.

➡️ A change in legislation so police officer deaths by suicide and attempted deaths by suicide are included in RIDDOR. This would be a vital step towards acknowledging and addressing this devastating issue that affects so many lives.

➡️ #Timelimits – Introduction of a 12-month review of all conduct investigations to speed up the lengthy timescales.

On December 7 2022, PFEW successfully held its largest parliamentary engagement event in recent years, speaking directly to more than 50 MPs to rally support for its core campaigns. We will continue to engage with all the politicians across England and Wales to highlight and champion for better pay and conditions for our officers.