Secretary ‘delighted’ to be elected for second term

6 December 2021

Suffolk Police Federation secretary Ben Hudson said he was “absolutely delighted” after being re-elected for another three-year term in office.

Ben, who became a workplace representative in 2013 and deputy secretary in 2018, was initially voted in as branch secretary when Mark Emsden emigrated to Canada in August 2019.

He said: “I am absolutely delighted to have been re-elected by the Suffolk Branch Board. I’ve worked hard to ensure that the Branch Board and Council, along with the trustees, all work as a team. 

“It is through this open communication and transparent decision-making that I have been able to really drive the performance of the branch forward at a time when our services are being requested more and more from our members.”

Ben plans to continue working to maximise the services the branch offers and look to boost income generation the branch office can make so it can give back to members in more ways.

He said he also wanted to continue working with Suffolk Constabulary and his Police Federation colleagues in Norfolk to get the best outcomes for members and ensure that they are safe and happy in their work.  

Ben said: “When I first became a rep I really wanted to try to give a voice to colleagues who often don’t feel able to raise their concerns about what is happening to them. 

“I was very passionate about fairness and the transparency of decisions that are taken which affect the working conditions of officers in Suffolk. 

“I stood as deputy secretary on the promise to the Board that when needed I would step forward and stand as the secretary. 

“This for me is really important as the role of the secretary is to run the branch office and the Branch Council. 

“Therefore continuity is very important for the stability of the branch.”

He continued: “Since first taking office I have conducted a top to bottom review of the branch office and the service we provide to our members. 

“I have re-shaped the existing budget to create new roles within the office, which have enabled us to deliver a better service to our members. 

“I have driven the recruitment of new Federation reps and worked hard to ensure that they receive all the training and CPD they require to best represent our members. 

“Finally, I am really proud of the sickness management process that I have put in place. This ensures that we are able to identify our members when they have been absent from work for more than 21 days. 

“This allows the branch case worker Wendy to contact them and offer them assistance while they are absent from work. It also allows us to best help them especially if they are off work for a lengthy period, which then triggers half or no pay appeals.”

Ben predicted the biggest challenge faced by Suffolk Police Federation in the coming years would be demand management - ensuring the branch can provide the best possible service and advice to its members and that workplace reps are able to secure the right amount of facilitation time within their busy day to day policing roles to do this.

He warned the impending arrival of the College of Policing’s Policing Education Qualifications Framework (PEQF) and the levels of abstraction it will cause from the frontline throughout the three year course would present a major challenge for the Force.

He said the Force would have to reduce its demands on Police Federation services, ensure that partners are held accountable to deliver the services they are required to and prevent any extra demands from falling on Police Federation members.