Welfare van up and running

26 May 2022

Officers will now have access to a welfare van when they attend major incidents and events or when preserving crime scenes thanks to a joint initiative between West Midlands Police Federation and the Force.

The new welfare van is being launched today and is ready for immediate deployment.

“We are delighted that the welfare van is now fully up and running,” says West Midlands Police Federation deputy secretary Chris James, “It will provide great facilities for officers and we are looking forward to seeing members take advantage of what’s on offer.”

Chris James with the new welfare van.

The van has been fitted out by a specialist vehicle conversion company and boasts a main area featuring a table with seating for four, a sink, a microwave oven, a fridge and a boiling water dispenser. To the rear, there is a toilet with sink and a storage area.

It also has a retractable canopy which opens from the side to provide shelter and shade.

The van will be predominantly used at scenes where police work is expected to go on for more than 24 hours but it will also be sent to pre-planned events. It is expected to be used during the Commonwealth Games and also the next Operation Pelkin where it will be deployed by the Federation as ‘Teapot 1’.

Chris added: “This is a project I have been working on for three years so it is nice to see if finally become a reality. I proposed the procurement of a welfare van after carrying out a survey of crime scenes over a period of 12 months and found that between 18 and 24 officers attending the average scene were going without basic facilities.

“There were too many occasions when officers found themselves with no access to a toilet, nowhere to take refreshments, and nowhere to wash their hands.

“So we are delighted the van is now up and running and we are looking forward to seeing it put to good use.”

He added: “I expect there to be a real demand for it, which should help us evidence to the Force the need for more welfare vans in the future. We want members to let us what they think of it. This is just one part of how we are focusing on officer welfare and we welcome ideas for what else we can do to support officers.

“I submitted a business case to the Force for them to purchase and convert the van. However, when this was unsuccessful I managed to obtain funding through the Federation to convert a van if the Force purchased the base vehicle.

“We have highlighted to the Force that officer and staff welfare is their responsibility. However, we are always looking for ways to support our members and hope that our significant contribution to this project will prove the concept. This will hopefully pave the way for the Force to purchase more welfare vans going forward.”

The Force will be responsible for ongoing costs other than any refreshments when it is deployed by the Federation at pre-planned events which will also be paid for by the branch.

Federation chair Rich Cooke: “The new welfare van will be used in a variety of different circumstances and I think will become essential to the wellbeing of our members.”