Chair’s review of annual conference: ‘One of the most important to date’

19 October 2023

West Mercia branch chair Barry Horton has described the Police Federation of England and Wales’s (PFEW) annual conference as one of the most important he can remember.

Barry said that with a general election to be held in the next year or so - the next one is due before January 2025 - this year’s conference took on extra significance.

“The conference was one of the most important I can remember as a serving rep,” said Barry, who joined West Mercia Police Federation as a rep in 2018 having previously been one during his time with the neighbouring West Midlands Force.

“It’s not just because it was moved online, as a result of the budget constraints PFEW now face.

"It was also the fact that there is likely to be an election soon.

“It was a chance for us to come together, to highlight the great work that’s being done for our members and to focus on the issues that matter to them so that we can put policing high up the agenda when the election comes.

“The stakes were very high.

“There were some excellent presentations and speeches, in particular the transition into the civilian world when retirement comes, which I have no doubt will be very useful for many officers.

“It’s so important for people to remember that behind everyone wearing a uniform is a person who deserves to be looked after when the time comes to hand back their warrant card.

“I was also impressed by the session highlighting the excellent work of the mutual aid teams, which has benefitted many members in recent deployments.”

Home Secretary Suella Braverman speaking to the PFEW conference via videolink

The Home Secretary's speech to conference lacked substance, said West Mercia Police Federation chair Barry Horton.

Barry said he was disappointed with the Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s speech to conference, in particular the lack of an announcement for an Elizabeth Medal, which the Federation has been campaigning for.

The PFEW’s Medals for Heroes campaign calls for the creation of an award on behalf go the country to recognise police officers and emergency services workers who make the ultimate sacrifice in the line of their duty.

It was anticipated by many that the award would be announced at conference.

Bryn Hughes MBE - who has been a driving force behind the campaign after his daughter PC Nicola Hughes was killed on duty - made a special trip to Manchester, where this year’s online conference was being filmed, in anticipation of an announcement.

Barry said: “A lot was said in the speech but, personally, I didn’t see a lot of substance in there.

“I was very disappointed that there wasn’t an announcement for the Elizabeth Cross medal.

“It seems a complete no-brainer that this should have been ready to announce this year.”

Barry said that the keynote speech by Steve Hartshorn, the national chair, was one of the stand-out moments of the conference.

“I thought our chair's speech hit many of the right notes," he said.

“It was full of facts about police pay, about how our pay is reviewed and set, about our conditions, about conduct hearings, about the impact of disclosure and redaction and so many other issues. The things that really matter to members.

“It was hard-hitting and pulled no punches with the Home Secretary watching.”

However, Barry added that the speech would have had even more impact if it was delivered to the Home Secretary in person rather than virtually.

“I felt the online format of the conference worked okay,” he said.

“However, I feel that in-person speeches and members' questions directly to the Home Secretary make a bigger impression.

“Also, the ability to network in between sessions is extremely useful and often reps get to bounce ideas off each other.

“In the future, my personal preference is for an in-person conference. However, I do see the benefit of having an online conference halfway through the year where the chair could update the membership in a similar format to this year's conference,” he added.