Relocated welfare van continues to provide support for officers

24 June 2024

The West Midlands Police welfare van was launched two years ago after a long campaign by West Midlands Police Federation.

Since then, it has proved to be an essential resource for officers at major incidents, events and scenes of crime.

The van, which was bought by the Force and fitted out by the local Federation branch, gives officers access to welfare facilities when away from police buildings.

Federation deputy secretary Chris James first came up with plans for the vehicle around three years ago after he conducted a 12-month survey of crime scenes which revealed between 18 and 24 officers attending the average scene were going without basic facilities.

Refreshments

“There were too many occasions when officers found themselves with no access to a toilet, nowhere to take refreshments or even get a hot drink and nowhere to wash their hands,” he explained.

“Anyone who has spent hours standing on a cordon or a static post understands how the lack of refreshments or access to basic toilet facilities could leave officers relying on the generosity of locals or waiting for cover to arrive. That led us to the idea of converting a vehicle into a bespoke welfare van.

“We were pleased when the Force came on board and agreed to purchase the basic vehicle, we then paid for it to be converted into a welfare van and it was first deployed in 2022.

“We always anticipated there would be a real demand for it and that has definitely proved to be the case with many officers now having benefited from the welfare facilities it offers.

“Kitted out with hot water, kitchen and toilet facilities, a fridge to store refreshments, a seating area and a retractable canopy to provide shelter and shade from the elements, the van provides everything officers need.”

Violent disorder

Notably the welfare van was deployed when Birmingham hosted the Commonwealth Games in August 2022 and has been called upon for political conferences in the city.

It was also at the scene of the Babbs Mill Lake tragedy in December 2022 and at Villa Park when there was violent disorder in the match between Aston Villa an Legia Warsaw at the end of November last year.

The van will continue to be used at locations where police resources are expected to be needed for more than 24 hours and will provide much-needed facilities where officers are deployed to major incidents or events.

Federation deputy secretary Chris James with the welfare van.

It can be booked in advance or spontaneously deployed and can be driven by any colleague with a standard car licence who has achieved the Force basic driver qualification.

The van is now managed by fleet services and stored at their Nexus base which enables it to be far more accessible to the whole Force. A private contractor attends bi-weekly to wherever the van is located for cleaning and re-stocking items.

How to book the welfare van:

Complete the online hire vehicle request form on the fleet services intranet site
For spontaneous deployments, a log will need to be endorsed by inspector or above advising that the welfare van is required. This should be where a scene is expected to last more than 24 hours
During office hours (Monday – Friday, 8am until 4pm) contact fleet services hire
Out of hours contact transport operations.