Get to know your Fed reps: Jess Davies

22 October 2021

Newly elected West Midlands Police Federation workplace representative Jess Davies says she became a rep to “give something back” after she received “outstanding” support from her rep during a tough time.

Jess is currently working on Force response at Coventry Central.

Explaining why she put herself forward in the recent Federation elections, she explains: “I went through a particularly difficult and challenging time in my career where I literally had no one to turn to other than the Police Federation. My Fed rep was outstanding and the support I received from the Federation was second to none.

“Now it’s time to give something back and I want to use my experience to help others. I have the raw experience of feeling helpless and totally reliant on the Federation so I bring empathy to the role. Also, through my own experience, I have gained a lot of knowledge in many procedures and I understand the importance of being a good listener and communicator but also the importance of managing people’s expectations.”

Jess joined West Midlands Police in 2001 and left in 2016 with 15 years’ service. She then re-joined last October.

“My Dad was a sergeant with West Midlands Police and my grandad was an officer in Poland before the Second World War broke out so I think it was in my blood to join the police service,” Jess says.

“I also wanted a career which would constantly challenge me and where I could help other people and try to have a positive impact.”

Jess says she’s looking forward to “getting stuck in with Federation work” and delivering the same service that she herself would expect. She is also hoping to specialise in personnel and equalities issues in the future.

As for the challenges of the role, Jess explains: “There are going to be occasions when you simply can’t deliver what a member wants of where you have to deliver bad news.”

She adds: “I think the biggest challenge for the police service generally is the fact that our forces now are so very young and there’s been a huge loss of skills that has arisen from years of freezing recruitment. Add to this the lockdowns of the pandemic, we have officers with very little life experience through no fault of their own.

“At the end of March this year 31 per cent of officers had fewer than five years’ service and, of these, 27 per cent had less than one year. I also see some austerity coming as a result of the pandemic.

“I think the challenge for the Police Federation of England and Wales is that there’s a need to rebuilt trust and confidence which has been lost somewhat from the perceived failings of the pension issue. Similarly, West Midlands Police Federation needs to restore some of the lost faith which again came due to the issues surrounding the pension challenge.

“And, we are getting more and more busy with new challenges which have resulted from the pandemic but we don’t have the staff levels to deal with this scale.”

Jess says her advice to new officers is to enjoy themselves: “You will not believe how fast a career goes by! Keep challenging yourself so you become a better officer. It’s all too easy to become stuck in a rut. Whatever you want to achieve, whether it’s to specialise or get promoted, just go for it. If you’re unsuccessful first time around, go back and try again until you do succeed.”