Get to know your Federation reps: Matt Paisley

24 March 2021

Workplace representative Matt Paisley says he took on the Federation role for the same reason he became a police officer: because he has a deep-seated desire to help people and fix problems.

Matt joined the Force in 2004 after wanting to be a police officer from a young age and says his first post in Ipswich was ‘a real eye-opener’. He is currently locality inspector and has led some investigations which he describes as career highlights.

“I developed intelligence around a key member of a community who was alleged to have possessed indecent images,” he explains, “He was a school governor and maintained the primary school’s IT networks as well as being their photographer. I secured a suspended sentence conviction, having uncovered thousands of images on his devices, and led this from start to finish.

“Another highlight was identifying an arsonist who had been responsible for more than 60 offences over a 15-year period, starting with bins, finishing with cars. I never secured a conviction but the arrest and subsequent support put into the individual had an impact as the community affected has not had any similar offences since.”

But Matt says the greatest highlights of his career have been the people: “The teams I have worked with have been mostly small and made up of real personalities – great people with a shared willingness to make a difference to the communities we police. It is the people I have worked with that really make the difference to policing.”

While Matt says be became a Fed rep around four years ago because of his desire to help people, he also says it suits his moral conscience.

“I first became a rep because it fits in with my personal ethics – supporting others, assisting the learning culture of the organisation and wanting to have an influence on how the organisation treats its officers,” he says, “And I believe I bring a considered, thoughtful and supportive set of skills to the role. I am approachable, easy to talk to and prepared to do all I can to assist our members in the best possible way. I also enjoy the variety and diversity of my role supporting discipline cases and post incident management.”

But he says one issue is time management: “Managing my day job alongside Fed work is definitely a challenge. I sit on an area command team too so I can get officers approaching me for advice who I also am discussing at a wider level, and that can be tricky,” he explains, “There is also the welfare side, particularly with discipline matters. It is recognising that I am not there to ‘get them off’ but to support their needs. Sometimes they don’t like the messages they are receiving so it is important to accept their views and offer the advice.

“My key priorities in this role are improving members’ knowledge around regulations, particularly conduct, and also educating supervisors around post-incident management (PIM). If we get PIM right at the very beginning officers will always have the best level of protection. I am also invested in the world of professional development, so working with strands within Suffolk Police to help identify ways for all officers to develop themselves.”

Matt’s special areas of interest are professional development and post-incident management. He has undertaken PIM and conduct training already and would like to complete the equality course too.

He says he would wholeheartedly encourage anyone to become a rep: “If someone was considering putting themselves forward to be a rep I would tell them to definitely do it. The time commitment is only what you are willing to put in, there is no pressure to take on additional work or specialisms and it is a great way to influence much of what happens in policing. It also helps you understand why certain decisions are made and opens up the narrative around your own skillset and how you can develop as an individual.”  

And the challenges ahead?

“We are likely to see a much younger demographic in the Force,” says Matt, “The national picture shows that with this comes additional pressures around conduct with younger in service officers perhaps not fully understanding their requirements under the Code of Ethics. Also, officers’ mental health has been a large topic of conversation and with limited resources, I believe we could see an increase in support required for long-term sickness related to mental health as well as the time and personal investment that comes with supporting someone struggling.

“In terms of issues for the Force, I think budgets will potentially shrink as the Government looks to recoup finances invested in the Covid recovery plan. Changing crime types are also a challenge, as is the threat that online crime has on traditional policing. Plus we continue to have a small number of officers set against a rising population, so how we engage with our communities continues to be a challenge.

“There will be challenges due to the changing needs of communities while increased pressures will also come from the CJS process as case building has changed dramatically.

“Getting to grips with technological advances, along with the increased length of a policing career, could also bring issues since I do not see the majority of officers looking to complete 40-year careers so what does that mean for their investment into the organisation?

“Challenges for the police service generally are building public confidence, retention of staff long-term, resourcing, with increasing population generally outstripping growth in police officer posts, and an increase in violent crime types.”

Looking ahead to his own priorities, Matt explains: “I am taking control of a new command area so I will be consolidating what is working well, building strong relationships between teams and injecting a fresh motivation through the sector.

“Longer term, I am looking to grow my Federation experience, look at more training opportunities and solidify my own CPD to ensure I remain a strong resource for the Federation to rely on. My long-term aspirations will be around expanding knowledge in the strategic development of the Force and working towards further promotion.”