18 November 2019
Federation members are being urged to complete a national survey on wellbeing and inclusion.
The survey is being led by Lancashire Chief Constable Andy Rhodes, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) wellbeing lead, and Greater Manchester Chief Constable Ian Hopkins, national lead on diversity, equality and inclusion.
All chief constables in England and Wales are supporting the survey which was launched last week and should take just 20 minutes to complete.
A link to the survey was posted on the Force intranet on Friday.
“I would like to encourage as many officers as possible to try to find time to take part in this survey,” says Steve Grange, secretary of West Midlands Police Federation.
“While I know everyone has workload pressures, this is a really important survey and could allow officers to shape the way in which senior officers improve wellbeing and inclusion within the police service.
“As a Federation, we have been raising concerns about officer wellbeing given that the cuts to police budgets have meant everyone is trying to do more with less. The NPCC now wants to find out more from officers so that it can address the issues they raise.”
Chief Constables Rhodes and Hopkins have issued a message to officers urging them to complete the survey.
“Wellbeing and inclusion are both extremely important issues that lie at the very heart of policing and so it is critical that we ask you how you are truly feeling at work so we can build a really clear picture of what we need to work on,” they say.
“We want every member of the police service to feel confident they can speak up and we would really encourage you to do so.
“All Chief Constables across the country have pledged to support the survey as it is becoming clearer and clearer that an effective approach to wellbeing and inclusion is critical to provide better support for everyone who works for us.”
The NPCC is aiming to use the results of the survey to improve the support offered within forces. It will repeat the survey at the end of 2020 and 2021 so it can assess if improvements have been made.
The responses will be anonymous with all submissions going to Durham University where the data will be analysed.
The survey will be open for four weeks.