Op Hampshire: ‘I’m proud of how far we’ve come’ says deputy chair

27 June 2023

The deputy chair of West Midlands Police Federation says he is proud to see how far Operation Hampshire has come, as he praises the progress of the nationwide strategy.

Jason Dooley has highlighted the positive impact he feels Op Hampshire has had on internal processes across the West Midlands, after the wellbeing initiative led by Oscar Kilo was launched to provide a consistent strategy, process and guidance for forces to follow in response to assaults on police officers.

Op Hampshire has become a priority workstream for the National Police Wellbeing Service and Police Covenant, was recently adopted by UNISON and has the backing of policing minister Chris Philp.

Speaking about the success of Op Hampshire within the West Midlands, Jase said: “I’ve been in the Force for almost 30 years and believe me, the way we respond when an officer has been assaulted is very different, compared to when I first joined. And Op Hampshire has been pivotal in making these changes happen.

“When I started out, if we were assaulted - which happened to pretty much all of us - we would go down the pub and brush it off, it would be swept under the carpet. And that was the norm.

“Nowadays, it’s taken much more seriously - as it should be. It doesn’t matter who you are, how old you are, what rank you are, being assaulted is not acceptable. And whether officers like to admit it or not, it definitely has an impact on our mental health - and in some cases, our physical health.”

Despite praising Op Hampshire internally, Jase voiced his concerns about what is done externally, calling for the courts to send a stronger message to offenders by taking assaults on officers more seriously.

“Members of the public cannot continue to think it’s OK to assault officers,” he added.

“We can do all we want internally but offenders aren’t facing any consequences if they hit, punch, spit or bite officers, then what message is that sending?”

Jase’s comments come after chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales Steve Hartshorn called Operation Hampshire a ‘legacy project in policing’.

“If anyone ever asks: 'what does the Federation ever do for its members?', then this is an absolute example of what we do. I am immensely proud of how far Op Hampshire has come, its success speaks for itself,” said Steve.

“While Op Hampshire is primarily still focussing on officer assaults, it’s actually giving our members so much more than that - you have to look at the bigger picture.

“The data we collect will educate us, which in turn will help us provide better training and communications. While the project also gives our members the confidence they need to feel valued and see that their Federation is looking after them.

“We’re also working with other agencies too, like our emergency service colleagues in the ambulance service, to share the strategy. Not only will Op Hampshire support officers today, but as it grows and develops, it’s only going to get bigger.

“I genuinely believe we can get the public’s confidence in the police back and it will be through projects like Op Hampshire.”

Steve added that the success of Op Hampshire has been driven largely by the national Op Hampshire Coordinator, Dave Brewster. Dave retired from the Met Police last year but has retained his role to keep up the momentum of the initiative with the National Police Wellbeing Service.

National Op Hampshire Coordinator, Dave Brewster.

Dave has created a national network of Op Hampshire leads across the UK to develop a pool of knowledge so that every force is represented and can share their experiences to help tackle the issue of assaults together.

“My goal is that every assault on a police officer or member of staff is recorded, investigated and then those involved are given the correct support they need. Even if they don’t think that they need support, I believe everyone should at least be offered it” said Dave, who said that in today’s society, many offenders believe they can freely attack our colleagues with impunity.

Echoing Jase's comments, Dave added: “I want offenders to be held to account for what they do. After all, the police are here to protect the public and we have to ensure that the thin blue line is supported. If officers aren’t being protected and supported, then everything starts to go wrong.

“A huge element of Op Hampshire is changing the culture in policing. Being assaulted is not part of our job. But changing that culture starts with us. We all have a part to play and each individual working in policing is key to the success of such change. It doesn’t happen overnight. It takes leadership, direction, action and participation.”