April POLICE magazine out now

8 April 2024

Kicking off this year’s national Police Bravery Awards coverage, National Chair Steve Hartshorn catches up with the judging panel ahead of the much-awaited annual event, finding out more about the process and their thoughts on the importance of celebrating acts of valour. Mukund Krishna, PFEW CEO, also shares the progress made to date, and future plans, on transforming the organisation.

As the service approaches a busy summer for mutual aid events, including the UEFA Champions League final and European Political Community meeting with around 50 world leaders in attendance, PFEW Operational Policing Lead Steve Taylor discusses how PFEW is continually striving to secure better conditions for members. The edition also visits Northumbria Police Federation to discover how its innovative mental and physical health support services, going above and beyond to support more than 2,500 police officers, has been praised by the National Chief Police Medical Officer.

Hear more about a special milestone in the police history books, with the formal introduction of State recognition for police officers in the form of the Elizabeth Emblem for officers who lose their lives in the line of duty, which will be conferred by His Majesty The King to the next of kin in memoriam for their supreme sacrifice in service.

As we prepare to mark Mental Health Awareness Week, we introduce our positive mental wellbeing campaign – Ask Twice, aimed at fostering a culture of genuine concern and support within the policing community, plus a police chaplain turned counsellor for police officers pens sobering views on the pressures officers face, the trauma they experience and public criticism.

For Stress Awareness Month, PFEW Wellbeing co-lead Paul Williams touches on embracing emotional awareness and self-care when navigating stress in policing in a though-provoking blog, and we look back at our International Women’s Day celebration with an impactive webinar, highlighting some of the incredible work and contributions made by officers, helping to support women in policing.

In our regular Reps Spotlight feature, we follow the journeys of Special Constables Andy Dollard and David Warren as they embark on the path to be Federation reps, bringing with them diverse backgrounds and a shared commitment to support fellow officers. POLICE also spoke to special constables and PFEW special constabulary leads to get their take on why there has been a fall in headcount while championing the important role they play in policing.

In a guest feature by Jason Bardell, Head of Clinical Practice, and Heather McLeod-Oates, Senior Clinical Practitioner at Dimensions, a not-for-profit support provider, they explore how the police service can create better outcomes for people with learning disabilities and autism, including through standardised training and stronger collaborations between the police and support providers.

As usual, we also share positive stories and accomplishments from some of our hardworking police charities. Discover more about the inspirational Blue Knights Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club, a cross-continent group of spirited motorcycle borne police officers, who ride to collect funds to support charities and why the Thin Blue Paw Foundation has honoured Greater Manchester Police PC Andy Kenyon and his search dog Eddie.

We hope you enjoy this edition.

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