Rod joins Federation National Council to represent BAME officers

11 March 2022

West Midlands Police Federation workplace representative Rod Rose has been voted onto the Federation’s National Council and has vowed to ensure all members are treated according to the three core values of dignity, respect and fairness.

Rod has the additional BAME seat for Region 3 which encompasses West Midlands, West Mercia, Warwickshire and Staffordshire.

He said he had a wide remit of issues to take to the council but one key area would be the representation of black, Asian and minority ethnic police officers from across the region.

He said: “One of my priorities is to get out across the region as much as I can - bearing in mind I have a full-time day job as well - to introduce myself and get to understand what the varying issues are.

“Issues faced by officers in West Mercia might be different to those in Warwickshire but what I am also looking for is general themes among the BAME officers that they might want pushing through.”

Rod said he was looking forward to getting to grips with the new position which will include holding the National Board to account.

But he added: “Obviously I am also accountable to all the regional Federation executives from the four forces - including my own Force, West Midlands - so it is in my interest to meet with them and understand the issues that need taking forward to the National Council.”

Rod has been a Fed rep for more than six years and specialises in personnel and equality.

He admits balancing Police Federation work with his day job as a DCI is difficult but said he hoped his new regional role would enable him to devote more time to the Federation.

Rod’s career in policing began more than 27 years ago on the streets of Birmingham and, but for a brief stint as a response sergeant in Devon and Cornwall in 2003, he has served with West Midlands Police ever since.

He said: “There are lots of under-represented groups, BAME being one of them, and identifying as a black officer myself I am invested in it.”

Rod explained his approach rested on the key principles of dignity, respect and fairness for all colleagues.

“And it doesn’t matter if you’re male, female, black or pink with green spots, my overarching aim as a Fed rep is to ensure my colleagues are treated with dignity, fairness and respect.

“My interest around BAME matters comes from the fact that I am a black officer and there aren’t many of us in policing.

“Having said that, most of my work is with non-black officers and is actually around disability rather than race issues”.

He said: “Also, I am the father of three young black males and growing up in the 1980s I was stopped and searched disproportionately and unfairly and, I now know, unlawfully.

“And the paradox is that I then became the person stopping and searching young males which, when I look back on it, was quite a weird situation to find myself in.

“But I would happily say that I never carried out a stop and search solely based on someone’s appearance.”