‘Treat Officers With More Compassion’

A policing ‘charter for change’ to properly support police officers and allow them to give their best for the job.

Deputy National Secretary Mel Warnes called for compassionate leadership in policing – saying that officers in need of support when they have difficulties in their home lives are faced with a postcode lottery, and that too often they are considered a drain on resources.

Mel called for a number of changes: full pay for family-related leave for bereavement; carer’s leave; neonatal care leave for parents of unwell babies; safe leave for officers experiencing domestic abuse; full pay after the death of a partner or child; paid leave for miscarriage or baby loss.

She said the service should introduce a risk assessment for officers who have dealt with serious issues such as these in their personal lives to ensure they are well and ready to go back to operational duty. “This isn’t radical, it’s humane and already happening in other sectors,” Mel said.

She criticised the National Police Chiefs’ Council for not taking up these issues due to cost, pointing out that the cost of officers leaving the job is actually much higher.

Saying that compassion defines good leadership, she added: “Culture starts at the top in how leaders respond when officers are struggling. This cannot wait. The problem is now. The solutions are simple. If there is a will to change, act now to support officers and provide a better service to the public.”

Mel said that officers subject to misconduct allegations were often assumed to be guilty and left to deal with the stresses and strains of the investigation alone – even when a significant percentage of these cases lead to no further action.

She said: “Too often officers under investigation are isolated and treated as though they are automatically guilty. Leadership means holding people to account without abandoning them. The conduct process can leave people demoralised and broken with shattered morale.

“We need the right people joining, but those people need the right support from the leaders of the organisation. Every year officers quietly juggle caring for parents, children while balancing the demands of police work. It’s an impossible situation. Exigencies of duty has been the get out clause for compassion for decades.

“We are asking for decency, dignity, compassion and understanding – the same values we show the public every day.”