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Policing Minister: You?ve told us you need more support ? it?s now on us to deliver it

Nick Hurd addresses rank and file officers exclusively through Police Oracle
Published - 12/07/2019 By - Nick Hurd

It is hard for Ministers to know the reality of being a frontline police officer.

We do not feel the toll of the job or experience its day-to-day routine.

And how many of us know what it is like to show courage and resilience in the most challenging of circumstances, with the highest of stakes, to keep the peace and save lives?

This is why we wanted to engage with you in a way no government has done before. To learn what officers and staff are going through and see how we can provide more support to deliver change.

Many were sceptical when we launched the Front Line Review last year because we made it clear that it was not about money.

We understand the need for investment which is why funding for policing is increasing by more than £1billion this year including council tax and the serious violence fund.

But during our extensive engagement it soon become clear that you need more than money.

You want an end to the wasting of your time, more of a say in the decisions that affect you and you want more time and support for wellbeing.

As the Policing Minister, I found our findings on wellbeing the most difficult to read.

Many of you feel stressed, depressed, and feel like you are letting down the public.

Everyone working in policing needs to feel valued and believe that the government and police chiefs have their back.

So the government is working together with all police stakeholders to take action, with a plan to put wellbeing at the heart of policing and to give the front line a bigger voice over their future and the decisions that affect them.

We also intend to bring chiefs and staff together to challenge internal bureaucracy while, at the same time, empowering you to stop taking on the work that should be done by other agencies.

None of this would have been possible without your engagement and support in the review.

We are not done listening and we are not done working together. Through the Front Line Review we will continue to introduce new measures to support you, and we should never stop challenging the pressures being faced on the front line. Only then can you do what you do best – keep our communities safe.

Thanks to the first ever Front Line Review we are laying bare uncomfortable, but hugely important truths about policing, and we now know – more than ever before – what we need to do give you the support you deserve. It’s now up to us and our partners across the police to deliver it.

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