Ben Hudson re-elected as branch secretary

27 May 2025

Looking ahead to his next tenure as the secretary of Suffolk Police Federation, Ben Hudson says he is committed to ensuring the branch provides the best support possible for its members.

Having been re-elected to the post in the latest Federation elections, Ben has shared his ‘delight’ to know that the branch board wish him to continue as secretary.

As well as maximising the resilience of the branch, while upskilling and supporting all workplace representatives, Ben has outlined his key priorities and main areas of focus:

1. Working with the Force to implement formal processes around welfare officers.

2. Improving awareness of / and the support the Federation provides to internal victims and witnesses.

3. Ensuring the Force is compliant with regulations.

4. Improving knowledge and understanding around trauma, while supporting members who are exposed to trauma.

Welfare officers

A police officer usually gets a welfare officer in situations where they are facing significant personal or professional challenges, such as being under investigation for misconduct or a criminal offence, having dealt with a traumatic event, or experiencing mental health issues related to their work.

However, Ben explained that currently, there is no formal internal process involved when somebody is assigned a welfare officer - something he wants to change.

“As it stands, there is no training, guidance or process involved when somebody is appointed as welfare officer,” Ben said.

“The pair are matched, yet there are no follow-up checks to see if the welfare officer is providing efficient support or if they are suitable to be allocated to that person as their welfare officer.”

“What we need to see is robust policies and procedures in place, to ensure officers are fully supported by their welfare officer.”

Ben is calling for welfare officers to be trained and, ideally, volunteers who want to take on the role.

“This way, we will be confident that the welfare officers have the knowledge and ability to efficiently support officers. This change will not just benefit the officer, but the welfare officer too.

“I’m concerned that if these changes aren’t made, we’re basically setting the welfare officers up to fail.”

 

Newly re-elected branch secretary Ben Hudson.

 

Internal victims and witnesses

Ben is keen for the entire membership to know that Suffolk Police Federation is here to support them.

With this in mind, he said that the branch has been working hard to engage with PSD (Professional Standards Department) and the Force’s HR team, but admits, there is still work to be done.

“We want all of our members to know that we are there for them, not just those who have been served papers,” he explained.

“For those members who are brave enough to speak up, give evidence or make a complaint against a colleague - we want them to feel confident and reassured that the Federation is there for them.

“And furthermore, we want members to know that their case will be dealt with in confidence - there will be no conflict of interest, between the support we provide them, and the other member/s involved.”

Ben is working hard with all key stakeholders internally to get processes in place which will benefit all.  

Ensuring the Force complies with regulations

Not only is Ben committed to ensuring the Force is complying with regulations, but he is also passionate about empowering members, so they feel confident in challenging senior managers should they wish to do so.

“Police regulations exist to ensure ethical and professional standards in policing, but they also protect the rights of our members,” said Ben.

“Sometimes they work for the officer and sometimes against, but ultimately, they are the only way to ensure our members’ entitlements are applied.

“However, the Force doesn’t always comply with those regulations.”

Ben says the first step is to make members aware of their rights, entitlements and the regulations. 

“Police officers have very limited rights. I want to help raise awareness of their regulations, while empowering them to challenge senior officers and the Force if they feel their rights are not being met,” he said.

“I don’t want our members to feel worried that they might be penalised for raising their concerns. 

“And I need our members to know that the Federation is there for them if they feel they need further assistance and support around their rights and regulations.”

Wellbeing of officers dealing with trauma

The wellbeing of those who deal with trauma is high on Ben’s agenda, he is committed to working with the Force to ‘actively better manage and track trauma and incidents involving trauma’.

He said: “We need to better understand trauma and track incidents involving trauma, so we can put the correct support in place, especially for those dealing with high levels of traumatic incidents regularly.”

Ben said this is an ongoing piece of work, which also aims to identify those at risk of developing vulnerabilities due to the impact of trauma-related jobs.

“And I’m not just talking about those on the frontline,” emphasised Ben.

“The correct support needs to be in place for all members who are facing trauma of all kinds due to the job they do.”

Ben is also driven to create a culture where members feel confident and comfortable speaking out about experiencing trauma.

“I know part of the challenge is getting members to trust and buy into the process,” said Ben, adding: “But the only way we can improve the support available is if we can sufficiently track the trauma our members are being exposed to.”

Ben ended by welcoming the four new workplace representatives onto the branch council.

He said: “I’m not only keen to support our members but to ensure our new reps, as well as those returning, are provided with the adequate training they need to provide the best possible service.”

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