Chair raises frontline policing concerns with Shrewsbury MP

13 October 2026

Police pay and the mental-health pressures facing officers were among the issues discussed when West Mercia Police Federation chair Gareth Spreadbury met Shrewsbury MP Julia Buckley.

The meeting was part of a series Gareth is holding with MPs which aim to ensure the issues facing officers and policing are understood and represented at Westminster.

The wide-ranging meeting also covered neurodiversity and recruitment, the effectiveness of the police pay review process and the need for better recognition and recording of officer suicides.

Gareth said Ms Buckley was keen to hear directly about the experiences and concerns of a serving frontline officer.

Shrewsbury MP Julia Buckley

He said: “It was a really good meeting and Julia was very, very engaging.

“She was interested in what I had to say as the chair of the Federation and also as a police officer.”

One of the key discussions was on police pay and the role of the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB).

Gareth raised concerns about the Government’s decision to award officers a 3.5 per cent increase despite the PRRB recommending 3.9 per cent.

Mental health

He questioned whether the pay review process can be considered genuinely independent when the Government can reject its recommendations.

The meeting also addressed the mental health risks faced by police officers, including officer suicides and whether enough support and preventative measures are currently available.

Gareth discussed the importance of forces recording officer suicides consistently and the work being considered around strengthening this through the Police Covenant, an issue the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) has been campaigning on.

Neurodiversity in policing was another important issue, with Gareth highlighting potential barriers faced by neurodivergent people when seeking to join the service and during their careers.

Gareth said that Ms Buckley was not only interested in the issues themselves but also in how the Federation could make its case more effectively at Westminster.

He said: “She was very informative about how to get the best out of our relationships with MPs, how to approach Parliament with different views and the different ways of getting our points across when it comes to the Federation’s campaigns.

Practical support

“She was interested in the practicalities of how we can get the best bang for our buck when putting these things across.”

Ms Buckley also offered practical support, including providing Gareth with details of MPs sitting on relevant Home Office select committees so that he can engage with them directly on policing matters.

“She basically said that she can help, but these are people who can help you even further and have a direct line into how things are affected at Government level,” he said.

“I thought that was very helpful.”

The meeting forms part of Gareth’s ongoing work to strengthen relationships between West Mercia Police Federation and MPs across the Force area.

So far he has met with six MPs, with other meetings in the pipeline.

He said: “We haven't had a relationship with MPs for so long but it’s been really positive and encouraging to meet with them and for them to hear about the issues first hand.”

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