Remote working 'new normal' with improved information sharing

The COVID-19 lockdown switched thousands of officers from stations to working from home in a matter of days in March. According to police leaders, the sudden change to remote working ended battles over systems security, data protection and budgets in the battle to stay operational. Evaluations have shown the change… The sudden switch to laptops during the lockdown has proved the IT case, improving joint working and saving time travelling to meetings, according to force managers and PCCs...

Getting into policing quickly

The two-year BA (Hons) Professional Policing (Accelerated) degree has been developed in partnership between Nottinghamshire Police and the University of Derby and is the first of its kind in the country. Chief Inspector Richard Stapleford who has 25 years of policing experience with Nottinghamshire Police, was seconded to the University… Nottinghamshire hopes that street duty ready students who have taken a two-year degree course and served as Specials will prove an attractive alternative during the officer uplift programme. ...

Derbyshire picks DCC for top post

Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner Hardyal Dhindsa has announced the force’s DCC is the preferred candidate to be the new chief constable. Rachel Swann will take over from Peter Goodman, who is retiring after a 32-year career in policing.  The appointment will now be subject to a confirmation hearing by… Derbyshire has boosted the ranks of female chief constables with its latest appointment. Rachel Swann, who is currently the Deputy Chief Constable, is stepping up the PCC has announced....

College report on direct entry schemes shows low numbers in post

The independently peer reviewed report, published yesterday (20 July), details the sometimes limited number of participants in the controversial Direct Entry scheme who end up in post against the high cost of marketing, training and recruiting officers.    The report looks at the numbers up to June 2019. The report… The College of Policing has published a five-year report on its Direct Entry Schemes, claiming they “can work” despite high costs and low uptake across forces....

Government offers 2.5% pay rise

The Treasury announced on Monday night that police officers in England and Wales will receive a 2.5% pay rise, to take effect from 1 September 2020. The Police Federation said with the country in the grip of a massive economic downturn, the deal was the best they could hope for.… The government has offered a 2.5% pay rise to police officers in England and Wales – exactly half what the leaders of frontline officers had asked for. But the Fed has called it "a step in the right direction"....

GMP Chief Constable Ian Hopkins wins Director of the Year

The force said CC Hopkins was nominated for his “leadership of the force through significant changes to the policing landscape over the past decade, including reduced government funding, reducing officer numbers as well as the changing nature and complexity of crime”. The award was presented to CC Hopkins at a… Greater Manchester Police’s Chief Constable, Ian Hopkins, has won the Public Sector category at the North West Institute of Directors (IoD) Director of the Year Awards 2020....

Tributes paid to an "outstanding" Hertfordshire sergeant

Sergeant Leah McDermott, who was 46-years-old, was passionate about joining the police from a young age, and her father had been an Inspector in Hertford. She first joined the force as a call handler in 1995 and became a PC in 2002. She met her husband Karl, a former Hertfordshire… Family, friends and colleagues have been paying tribute to a “much-loved and respected” Hertfordshire Police Sergeant who died on Friday 26 June after battling cancer....

First UK force achieves national equality and diversity standard

Avon and Somerset Police have become the first force in the UK to have achieved accreditation for the National Equality Standard (NES). NES was developed for businesses and sets equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) criteria against which companies and other organisations are independently assessed. It is supported by the Home Office… Avon and Somerset completes one year assessment process backed up by 600 pieces of supporting evidence ...

Eating and exercise: how Humberside turned around welfare

How’s lockdown going? We’re finding some health and wellbeing challenges with our teams working agile in that they are not stopping. They are getting literally heads down with their laptops. And if you have children, it’s tough. We’ve moved as an organisation to quite a lot of agile working but… Humberside Police has gone from inadequate to Oscar Kilo award winner in three years. Police Oracle interviews the force's Head of People Services Sarah Wilson and finds out how simple things such as bringing back staff gyms has helped...

Busy autumn could be turning point for officer welfare, says Apter

Changes to legislation on emergency driving, the Police Covenant and Specials being able to join the Federation will be contained in a Policing Bill that looks set to begin progress through Parliament after the summer recess. The Police Covenant, which will enshrine welfare rights for officers and their families for… A raft of new policing related legislation on emergency driving, the Police Covenant and Specials being able to join the Federation will be contained in a new Policing Bill shaping up for the autumn says the Federation ...