Get to know your Federation reps: Iain Forbes

25 March 2021

With a passion for protecting officers, Iain Forbes put himself forward to become a Fed workplace representative around three years ago. Since then, he has enjoyed hearing the brave stories that come from his colleagues, as he discovers more about what goes on “behind the scenes” at the Force.

Iain first joined Suffolk Constabulary in 2017, following a 10-year stint with the Metropolitan Police. 

“My first work experience was jumping in with a response unit,” says Iain who, inspired by his father, a fellow officer, is now a DC at Ipswich CID.

“I was the officer in the case for an attempted murder where the suspect tried to kill his wife using petrol which he failed to ignite. He received 17-and-a-half years in prison,” he continues, reflecting on his career highlights.

Iain became a workplace rep in 2018, after seeking support from the Federation himself.

“I am passionate about protecting officers’ rights under the regulations and in supporting officers undergoing misconduct or complaint investigations,” Iain adds, explaining that his key priorities include supporting officers who are subject to misconduct hearings or meetings.

Of course, the role brings with it challenges too, including having to witness the personal impact policing can have on officers. 

“It’s hard not to take on their difficulties and separate yourself from that,” he says, adding that he hopes to train in Post-Incident Management soon.

Iain sits on the Police Federation’s National Detectives’ Forum, which he hopes strengthens the link between his local branch and the national Federation.

“I try to bring the concerns from the branch to the national Federation, which hopefully will improve the lot for detectives,” he adds, “The detective role carries a lot of long-term risk and increasing workloads.”

As the Force prepares to come out of lockdown with the rest of the country, Iain anticipates what the future holds: “Looking forward, I expect we will soon see moves similar to the austerity decisions, a drawing back on police budgets and potentially strengths. This means less people, doing more. The work for the Federation will only increase as more and more officers are overworked. 

“The police precept has now gone up, but I expect that budgeting for the Force is going to be much tougher. The pressures on officers are higher than it ever has been and we are relying increasingly on younger officers who need more support and assistance.

“Experienced officers are facing a balancing act to keep getting good results for our victims while providing their time to uplift their colleagues.

“I recognise the Force and the Federation are keen on looking after officers’ welfare and I know they are acutely aware of the impact a reduction in our strengths can have.”

Despite believing the police service has overwhelming support from the public, Iain says officers are often put in impossible situations and are criticised no matter what decisions they make.

“I think we must all continue doing what we do, recording our actions and making sure they stand scrutiny after the fact,” he says, “We should expect that we will be criticised, but it should not prevent us from taking difficult decisions.”

For anyone that is considering becoming a Fed rep, Iain says he would recommend it to anyone that wants to provide their colleagues with help and support when they need it most.

“You do need to be able to give this role a proportion of your work time and sometimes your personal time,” he says, “It is a role that needs the support of your line managers but it’s worthwhile.”