This month, I'm sharing a slightly different blog as I take a moment to reflect on this Federation’s Annual Conference and Awards of Excellence.
Please bear with our small team as we work through the transcripts, clips, and recordings from this event. I want to share as much as possible of what we discussed while respecting the very personal stories and experiences some of our speakers shared. In the meantime, I hope this summary and my thoughts will be useful.
Firstly, why do we even have a conference? This is the time of year when all our reps come together to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing policing, and BTP in particular. We’re joined by chief officers, other senior leaders, policing partners, and guest speakers with experience in some of the difficulties our members face. Our conference gives us a platform to raise concerns, spotlight what’s going well, and work together to create positive change.
Still calling for more support
Policing is changing at a rate I’m not sure we have seen before, certainly not during my service anyway. I used my speech to highlight the impact of suicide (both in terms of your role in responding but also the rise in officer suicides), assaults on officers, and repeated exposure to trauma and why wellbeing support is so vital. Misconduct matters, and vetting issues are a significant part of the Federation’s workload. Upholding standards is essential for public confidence, but I wanted to remind those in the room that allegations are not findings. I also spoke about pay and conditions, recruitment, and the bigger challenge of retention.
Our conference speech is important. It lets us reflect on the last year, highlight and challenge what needs challenging, and give praise where it’s due. However, I don’t want my speech to repeat last year's. Policing needs to reach a stage where I’m not demanding better pay, conditions, and support from the government and the Authority.
The Rail Minister, Lord Hendy, could not join us in person but provided a pre-recorded response to my speech. He spoke highly of BTP officers, describing your work as ‘remarkable’. He highlighted the ‘heroic’ efforts of colleagues who had responded to some of the most significant incidents on our railways in recent years. Praise is always welcome, but we had hoped for responses to some of the questions we had put to Lord Hendy; regular readers will know concessionary rail travel has been on the table for several years.
While we didn’t get a firm answer, Lord Hendy committed to exploring options with his officials, recognising that the delay in reaching a decision was frustrating for BTP officers.
Answering your questions
On the topic of providing answers, I would like to thank Chief Constable Lucy D’Orsi, Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Cundy, and the Chair and CEO of the Authority, Tricia Hayes, and Hugh Ind, for participating so fully in our Q&A session.
It’s one of my favourite parts of conference: your reps asking challenging questions directly on your behalf. It’s important that we have this opportunity, and I know not all other federations get to do it, so I’m grateful to everyone taking part who can make it happen.
The panel took questions on policing demand, technology, police reform and scrutiny, the timeliness of PSD investigations, and leadership, accountability, and decision-making. The panel talked for over an hour, sharing professional views and personal stories. I think this session alone is worth bringing everyone together, not least because those leading the force and deciding its direction get to hear directly from the volunteers who represent you, not just us on the Exec team. We’re prioritising this session for circulation so you can see the responses to the reps' questions.
The hidden toll of policing
One of the conference's most profound moments was hearing from Tony Adams MBE. The former England and Arsenal captain agreed to speak after we met by chance at the Blue Light Show, where he and colleagues from the addiction charity he founded spoke to me about their work in policing.
Tony spoke candidly about his own path to addiction and his line, “I wasn’t a bad person; I was a sick person,” has stayed with me. He shared the highs of a career in the spotlight and the lows of his drug and alcohol use. We also heard the anonymous story of a police officer whose life came close to being ruined by addiction.
Addiction is an issue in policing but perhaps not in the way you might expect. In the past, studies have focused on gambling and officers’ use of alcohol. It was surprising then to hear that food-related addictions and eating disorders are amongst the common issues Six Mental Health Addiction supports officers with. I’m keen to explore how we can work with Six to support colleagues who are ready to receive it.
Policing is non-stop
The themes of officer safety, the relentless nature of policing and the impact of trauma all came together when we launched our new film, Non-Stop. If you haven’t seen it yet, you can watch it here: https://btpfnonstop.co.uk/
If I could, I'd invite every MP, every minister, and every decision-maker in the Department for Transport and the Home Office to join you on a shift. It would be a huge eye-opener for them to see exactly what you have to deal with. But it’s not realistic. So, we’ve done the next best thing with our film, which gives them a window into our world.
I hope the calls our fictitious officer Rachel attends reflect some of your experiences. That sense of dashing from call to call, with no time to process what you have just dealt with before attending the next incident. The breadth of the issues you face and the toll they can take on you.
The conference launch marked the start of a programme of work to put this film in front of the right people at the right time, and I include the public in that. As you can imagine, there have been a few choice comments online, but positivity, praise, and gratitude from people who are glad you’re there have outweighed them.
And on the topic of gratitude, we're always delighted to host our annual Awards of Excellence at our conference. Negativity is everywhere in and around policing, and as described above, when you’re dashing from one incident to the next, you don’t really think about the difference you’re making. This year’s award winners have made a difference in many ways, and I encourage you to watch the films we made about them.
If you can get to the end of the Chair’s Award film without a tear in your eye, you’re made of stronger stuff than I am.
My thanks to everyone who attended, supported, and contributed to our conference this year. I left the event with renewed purpose and pride. There is so much that is good about BTP and policing more widely, but there is still a huge amount of work to do. This Federation will continue to hold the force to account and push for change. We will continue to champion great work and invest in our reps so they can best advocate for the hard-working members who deliver it.
Could you be a Federation Rep?
As I sat thinking about what to write about in this month’s blog, I heard the sad news of the deaths of former officers Chris Nicolau, Rob McCombe, and Ricky Brownlee. I didn’t know Chris and Rob personally, but from the stories some of you have told me, I can appreciate how well-respected they were and how deeply they'll be missed.
I've been thinking of Ricky a lot lately. I started on his shift, and although he wasn't my tutor, he took me under his wing. He looked after me and showed me the knack of being a copper who knew when someone needed a figurative arm around the shoulder, or if someone needed to be dealt with more industrially. He was an exceptional copper and an even better human being.
Ricky always wanted to help people and showed this by also volunteering as a Fed Rep.
We’re approaching a period of change in the Federation. In January 2027, all forty of our Federation Rep positions will be up for election. This process happens every five years. Every Federation member is entitled to stand for election, so if you think you can help bring about change in the Federation and locally in your policing area, consider putting yourself forward. We’ll share more on the process shortly.
Thank you for reading this month’s blog. If there’s something you need support with, your local reps are ready to assist. Find their details here [login needed].
I hope that you’ve found this month's blog useful. Please don’t forget to reach out to your Federation reps should you need any assistance. Stay safe and look after each other.
All the best,
Stuart Cowan - Chair of BTP Federation