by Gavin Thomas President, Police Superintendents’ Association What were you doing in 1993? Many of you reading this will have been in your early policing career, gaining experience and starting to progress through the ranks. However, a good number will not even have joined the service; you may have been in a different job, or still in education. It’s worth bearing that in mind when we consider that it is now 25 years since the murder of Stephen Lawrence. Those longer in service understand the murder, and the subsequent Macpherson public inquiry, were landmarks in British policing. The inquiry shone much-needed light on our practices, culture and leadership, and heralded long-overdue change. But many officers joining today and in...
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2017 Pay Survey results
The results of the 2017 Police Superintendents’ Association and Superintendents’ Association of Northern Ireland joint pay survey are now available. The survey was open from September to November 2017 and received 962 responses – a response rate of 71%, and the highest number ever received for this survey. The findings informed the staff associations’ submission to the Police Remuneration Review Body pay process for 2018 and the 11 recommendations made. Headlines from the survey include: Large increases in dissatisfaction with pay and remuneration; A large increase in the proportion of respondents who do not feel fairly paid, with a majority saying they felt less fairly paid in relation to the responsibilities of their job than they did 12 months ago;...
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Association response to HMICFRS PEEL Police Effectiveness 2017
In response to the published report by HMICFRS on Police Effectiveness, Chief Superintendent Gavin Thomas, President of the Police Superintendents’ Association, welcomed the report and the acknowledgement of the hard work and commitment from everyone in the Service. With everyone striving to improve the service to the public and keep them safe, he described the collective effort as the “Best of the Blue Team”. However, reflecting on his speech at the Association’s conference in September last year, he spoke of a “Perfect Storm” in policing, with rising, new and complex demand, fewer resources, and inconsistency across force boundaries. He called for a debate with everyone in policing, Government and the public on what we want from our police service in...
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Foresight is 2020 – or even 2045…
by Gavin Thomas President, PSA For the past few years I have been strongly advocating for the service to have a capability to look to the future. Not just to the next year, or even to the end of the next political cycle which seems to determine our budget setting processes. I mean properly into the future – next generational distances, perhaps even further. Such a capability would provide not just policing but also opinion formers, politicians and the public, with some foresight as to the threats, risks and opportunities facing the service. I see this reaching out 20-30 years: beyond my time and probably that of many of you who are reading this! What we do know is...
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New National Consensus Statement Between Police and Health
New national consensus statement between Police and Health A consensus agreement between national policing and health organisations in England has been published. It highlights the common ground between policing and health and recognises the overlap between the social determinants of health and crime such as housing, education, work and income. Those who are or are at risk of offending as a group are more likely to suffer from multiple and complex health issues, including mental and physical health problems, learning difficulties, substance misuse and increased risk of premature mortality. The consensus has synergy with the Policing Vision 2025 and the NHS Five Year Forward View, and acknowledges that working collaboratively across the system is key to preventing crime and...
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“It’s important no-one has to hide or pretend”
Last year the Police Superintendents’ Association funded two places on the Stonewall Young Leaders Programme. Applications were open to anyone aged 18-25 working in policing in England and Wales for the programme, which is designed to help young LGBT people explore what it means to be yourself in the workplace as LGBT and also to inspire participants to think about their impact on others as leaders and role models. The programme considers issues such as what makes a leader, authentic and inclusive leadership, and the impact of bias. The programme took place over two days in London and one of the officers we funded was 23-year old Northumbria Police response officer Joshua Lumsden. Joshua has been a PC for two...
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Response to HMIC PEEL Leadership Inspection
The latest PEEL inspection of leadership in policing has found forces lack sufficiently deep understanding of the skills and capabilities of their workforce. The report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) suggests this is risking their ability to meet future demands The Police Leadership 2017 report shows that few police forces have adequate succession plans in place and too many are taking a “short-term and reactive approach to address future needs.” However, it also notes positive examples of police leaders showing commitment to improvement, including: Senior teams consistently demonstrated an understanding of the need for fair and ethical treatment of their workforces and to the public. Inspectors also found that there has been an increasing...
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Staff associations ask for inflation-based pay increase
The Police Superintendents’ Association and the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) have asked for a pay rise of 3.4% for 2018 in their joint submission to the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB). The submission puts forward a body of evidence for the uplift, citing the economic impact of wage freezes and the recent pay cap on officers; information on officers’ views on pay, morale and their reporting of their workload; and data regarding the recruitment and retention of officers. It also highlights that the staff associations are “deeply concerned” at the NPCC’s progress on pay reform and the impact of this on pay uplift, putting both the PRRB and the staff associations in “an invidious position”. The submission...
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Places still available for coaching and mentoring training
Places are still available for training in coaching and mentoring skills, to help Superintendents and Chief Superintendents provide better support to colleagues from under-represented groups. The first two sessions were held earlier this month. Two more sessions are already fully subscribed but places remain on eight dates across the country. Members’ comments following the first two events included: “It was a good day – efficient use of time, the right length and I do feel better equipped to have coaching conversations following the training.” Det Supt Katie Harber, Metropolitan Police Service “It was an extremely valuable investment of time, equipping delegates with some excellent skills to help coach and develop their staff.” Supt Jon Hutchinson, Cambridgeshire Constabulary “Thought...
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Association updates name and logo
The Association is today (22.1.2018) shortening its name to become the Police Superintendents’ Association. The change, agreed by the Association’s National Executive Committee, more accurately reflects the scope of the Association’s representation, which encompasses the Isle of Man Constabulary (Crown Dependency), Civil Nuclear Constabulary (UK wide) and British Transport Police (covering Scotland). Changing the name has also provided an opportunity to refresh the Association’s logo, also unveiled today. President Gavin Thomas said: “The Association has a proud history dating back more than 60 years, and its National Officers are trusted with ensuring it remains modern and relevant and our updated name reflects this. “I am also pleased to unveil our new logo design, which has a modern feel while retaining our important Coat of...
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