Police Victims Will Be Supported By Federation

12 January 2026

Police victims and witnesses are entitled to the same level of support as someone who is going through the misconduct process, the Chair of Sussex Police Federation has said.

Raffaele Cioffi was speaking ahead of the launch of the Police Federation of England and Wales new Victim and Witness Support Program, which will offer confidential advice, welfare support and clear pathways for officers who are victims or witnesses of misconduct.

It is designed to address the barriers highlighted in a recent PFEW survey: fear of repercussions, uncertainty about where to seek help, and a lack of confidence that the system will protect those who speak up.

The survey, completed by 5,203 officers across all ranks, regions and demographic groups, found that more than one in five officers (21%) had been directly involved in a misconduct case where the perpetrator was another officer. But only 47% said they had reported what they saw.

This reluctance may be due to the fact that almost half of officers surveyed said they were dissatisfied with how their force handles police-on-police misconduct. Support for those who report or act as witnesses is also widely seen as inadequate: 42% said support is poor, and only 12% think it is handled well. In fact, two fifths said they were unaware of the ways the Federation can help them if they are involved in a misconduct case.

Sussex Police Federation Chair Raffaele Cioffi said: “Officers must be able to report wrongdoing with confidence. Right now, some feel they have to be brave to come forward because they fear repercussions. Any witness or victim should seek support from the Federation, we’ll stand with them so they’re not undermined for raising concerns about inappropriate behaviour.

Raffaele said a common misconception was that the Federation was there to protect people who are being investigated, but not necessarily the witnesses. But he said witnesses and victims would receive support from different Fed Reps who were not involved in the original case.

He continued: “The national Federation is drawing up new guidelines on how we support witnesses and victims in relation to criminal and misconduct allegations.

“At the moment, our force doesn’t tell us who a victim or witness is until the last moment in a misconduct process as their anonymity is protected, so we are working with them to try to get that information sooner so we can do more to support them.

“But if a victim or witness approaches us for support, we will allocate someone who has had no contact with the original case to provide them with care moving forward. It can feel like quite a lonely place to be if you're a victim or a witness, and it shouldn't be like that. You are entitled to support when going through the misconduct process.

“That's why I urge members to come to us for support and assistance. There are a number of things we can do to support them. I encourage people to contact us and have a conversation with one of their local Reps. We will make sure your support is handled by a person who's appropriately trained to give you advice and who has no contact with the original case. That's a stability that we can guarantee.”