Birmingham set to host Federation conference

2 May 2018

John Williams

West Midlands Police Federation acting chair John Williams is hoping the debates at this year’s annual national Police Federation conference later this month will put further pressure on MPs to alleviate the strain on the Force.

The conference, which for the second year running will be held at Birmingham’s ICC, will be attended by delegates from across England and Wales as well as senior officers, MPs and other senior figures in policing.

With the theme of ‘Protecting the Protectors – the reality of policing’ at the heart of many of the issues debated, John says he is looking forward to hearing what politicians, other keynote speakers and Federation representatives have to say on the major issues in policing.

John, who will attend the conference with a group of workplace representatives from West Midlands Police Federation, praised the cross-party support that had helped the Protect the Protectors campaign gain such momentum over the past 12 months.

“Everyone who works for the emergency services believes it is vital that support continues,” says John, “Our officers deserve greater protection from people who have assaulted them and there needs to be a stronger deterrent in place to stop that happening.

“The increase in violent crime across the country is a worry too and that ties in with various issues that have arisen due to Government cuts to resources and funding.

“Mental and physical fatigue is having a growing detrimental effect on our members and falling numbers of officers on the streets is resulting in many forces being stretched beyond capacity.

“These are all issues that we must keep at the forefront of the minds of those in positions of power. The national conference gives us the opportunity to hear views from all sides of the argument and work together to find the best way forward for the police and the people we strive to protect.”

Conference runs from 22 to 23 May.

Conference Agenda and Conference Information.