Challenges of policing discussed with MS

6 October 2021

Police Federation Welsh lead Nicky Ryan discussed the public health challenges facing members during a discussion with Heledd Fychan, the Plaid Cymru member of the Senedd (MS) for South Wales Central.

Nicky’s chat with Heledd was the latest in a series of meetings she’s held with politicians in Wales to discuss the issues facing the Federation and members.

They discussed the pressures facing the NHS and the Welsh ambulance service, which has asked for help from the military to drive its vehicles, as winter approaches.

Nicky said: “Heledd was very knowledgeable and well briefed on the current issues facing officers as a result of shortages within the Welsh NHS and ambulance service. 

“She was also interested to hear of the mental health facilities that Welsh forces had in their control rooms.

“And we discussed previous initiatives that forces had trialled to provide medical assistance at scenes. I felt that this was an area of interest and concern for Heledd.”

Another area of discussion was priority NHS treatment for officers hurt in the line of duty. Nicky has been calling for the Senedd to give special recognition to the extraordinary contribution officers make to the communities they serve by granting them priority access to NHS services in Wales when injured on duty.

She says that priority access would ensure they get back to work earlier, would be less of an expense to the tax payer and would fit into the ethos of the new Police Covenant.

Nicky said: “Heledd was supportive of priority treatment under the covenant and understood that the NHS treated injured officers anyway, so to treat an officer early was beneficial to the tax payer and to the officer – especially when peer support can be maintained for an officer.” 

They discussed the importance of Special Constables and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) to policing.

“Heledd understood how policing had changed and that Specials and PCSOs now provided that visible presence and reassurance,” she said, “And the role that they undertook from an intel point of view.”

Nicky told Heledd she is working to give extra support in the Federation for Welsh-speaking officers.

She said: “I explained how I’m pushing Welsh translation and the acceptance of Welsh within the Police Federation for England and Wales.

“We need to be able to communicate on a better level with our first language Welsh officers.”

And they also covered the ongoing work around the Thomas Commission on Justice in Wales and the Federation’s desire to remain neutral.

“I’d like to take this piece of work to the spring party conferences in 2023 so that the Federation, while staying neutral, presents all sides of the conversation to a wider audience” she said.