Don't forget nominations for our Bravery award contenders closes on 9 March. Please see the bulletin issued last week for full details.

An update on the pensions situation

Recent developments - including the PFEW’s involvement in the first Scheme Advisory Board (SAB) Technical Working Group (TWG) meeting – concerning the pensions situation have occurred and I feel it is necessary to offer an update. Matters arising from the McCloud judgment on the discrimination caused by the current transitional protections in the CARE 2015 scheme will be complex to unpick, and this will take some months. National Secretary Alex Duncan provides an update for you. Read More

PFEW LGBT+ group

A new group has launched for Fed reps who identify as LGBT+.

Ian Ashton of Lancashire Police, and Martin Whitehouse of the Devon & Cornwall force, were elected Chair and Secretary respectively of the Police Federation LGBT+ group at its inaugural two-day seminar in Leatherhead on 13-14 February. The remit of the group, which was the brainchild of PFEW National Board member Ian Saunders, is to encourage more LGBT+ officers to stand for election as Federation reps and ensure LGBT+ voices are better heard and understood within the organisation. Read More

Officer Survey – Help shape the future of road policing

The Department for Transport and the Home Office with the National Police Chiefs’ Council are currently conducting a review of Roads Policing which is due to be published later this year. As part of this they are gathering evidence from police officers about what roads policing really looks like in terms of amount of time and type of activity, when compared against non-roads policing work. In order to help do this, they have put together a short survey for police officers which runs until 25 March 2020. Complete the survey here. The survey is designed for all officers to complete, not just roads policing officers. The data will be anonymous with the usual safeguards in place around personal information. PFEW is very supportive as it is vital that the voices of our members are heard, and their experiences fed into the review. Please feel free to circulate this to your members and encourage them to complete the survey. For more information please contact roads policing lead Gemma Fox.

Branch Board contact details on The Hub

Now that the Hub is live for Branches, we'd be grateful if you would check that the Branch contact details that are recorded on it are correct. Please can you check your Branch's contact details and let us know if any changes are needed. Please email any required changes.

Mental Health – Hear 'Man Up', Think 'Man Down'

Our campaign to tackle the issue of officer suicide launched on 6 February, to mark Time to Talk Day. We want to encourage officers to do more to support colleagues’ mental health – encouraging them to recognise that telling someone to “man up” could lead to a “man down”. The intention is to change the conversation around mental health – to recognise the signs when someone is struggling and to reach out in the right way. An e-bulletin outlining the campaign has been circulated, and materials for you to use locally will continue to be added to The Hub. Please share our posts on social media and use the materials to create your own content to support the campaign – the hashtags we are using are #ManUpManDown #WhatNotToSay.

We are also looking for officers willing to speak out about mental health – if you know of anyone who might be willing to allow us to use their story (anonymously if they wish) to help others, please get in touch.

Let's talk money: Let’s talk…debt

The first of our series of guides to financial wellbeing, produced in partnership with Police Mutual is now live. A new issue, focussing on a different area of finance, will be published via social media and the website each month and can be viewed here.

‘Police officers do a unique job. They deserve to be paid fairly’

With the government committed to increasing police numbers by 20,000 the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) has warned it’s more important than ever that police officers are paid a fair wage for the unique job they do. Today (7 February) PFEW, in conjunction with the Police Superintendents’ Association (PSA), has published its submission to the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) - the independent team which recommends to the government what pay increase police officers should receive. This year PFEW and PSA have recommended that police officers receive a pay uplift of 5% across all ranks. Last year officers were awarded 2.5%. Read More

Policing situation is 'soul-destroying' for officers

‘Police officers are as frustrated as victims that they are no longer able to provide the service they once could’ - that’s the response of the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) to the latest report by the police watchdog. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) report published today (7 February) concludes victims have given up reporting some crimes because the public has “rumbled” that the police do not have the capacity to investigate. Read More

Frontline officers must be able to feed into review of bail laws

The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) has welcomed the launch of a consultation on pre-charge bail with a focus on ensuring that the police are properly supported to investigate crimes and victims are appropriately protected. Today (5 February) the Home Secretary Priti Patel announced the move which represents a dramatic shift from the previous policy introduced by Theresa May in 2017. Ms Patel she was “committed to giving a voice to victims and providing the police with the support they need to protect the public from harm”. Read More

Learning & Development courses 2020

Details of all the courses being run by PFEW this year can be found on The Hub. Information about booking attendance for courses can also be found here.  

iLearn is here for you

Last year we launched our new online learning provision, iLearn.

Click the link to gain access to it: Tip: Bookmark the website so that you can quickly access it and enjoy exploring it. If you have any problems or queries with iLearn please email your L&D team.

Annual Conference 2020

Don't forget our annual conference, in Manchester, takes place between 16-17 June. More details will follow soon.

Our logo
Branch specific logos for email signatures, publications and websites are available from the Communications team. Please email for your Branch's logo.

New recruit/Presentation folders
Please note that these have now been printed and can be ordered from the Printroom. To place an order please email The Printroom.

Fed rep activity log
We are currently redesigning the Fed rep activity logbook. Whilst it will only be available at the end of February it would be helpful to gauge the quantity that we need to print. Please email the Print Room with an estimate of the quantities that you currently require. We would also be grateful if you would indicate in the email the timeframe that this quantity would last, so that this will help in determining future demand. Please note that the activity log is printed with the Branch address and logo on the front and back covers.

Performance Requires Improvement (PRI)
The Federation welcomes changes to the Conduct & Performance arena which will make the procedure fairer and less stressful for officers in the future. A new Performance Requires Improvement (PRI) process, where officers will take part in Reflective Practice - similar to the old Local Resolution or Management Action system - has been rolled out to forces by the Home Office. A printed copy of the process is included as an insert in this month's printed edition of Police magazine.

Do you know someone who is retiring or leaving the service in the next three months?
It's essential that we capture the experiences of those who are leaving the service soon, whatever their circumstances, so that lessons can be learned, and issues can be addressed. The findings from this ongoing study are crucial for building a strong evidence base for change to benefit those still in the service and those yet to join. Please share this link with your colleagues, but please do not share it on public platforms.

Weekend room rates for members at Federation House
Single room occupancy per night costs only £45 or £55 for a double/twin room. Included in the price is breakfast, free parking, free Wi-Fi, early check-in on a Friday, with secure bag drop and a 10am checkout time. Family rooms are available, children when sharing parents room are £12.50 per night. Chessington World of Adventures is a short drive away, as is Legoland. Leatherhead railway station, with frequent trains to London, is five minutes' walk from Federation House. If you have an early flight from either Gatwick or Heathrow, they are both within thirty minutes driving time. For full details, please visit the Federation House website.

We have expanded the range of discounts and benefits
Information about a new, wider range of member benefits and discounts, from finance and legal services, health, holidays, cars, insurance, restaurants and high street retailers.
- On the home page click on 'About us' 

- Click on 'Discounts & services for members' to access the offers.
 

Please contact the benefit provider to take advantage of an offer or to obtain further information. You may find that your Branch also has information about other local offers and benefits.