Welcome to this month’s edition of the blog, which aims to keep you updated on the work this Federation is doing on your behalf.
Pay Award
By now you will be aware that the Government has announced a 3.5% pay award for officers of all ranks from September 2026. The pay award is less than the 3.9% recommended by the independent Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB). You can read the statement our Chair Stuart Cowan issued here.
While we have pay parity with Home Office forces, BTP has to present its position to the Police Authority. It’s worth noting that as part of the three-year Medium Term Financial Plan agreed last year, the BTPA acknowledged that issues like the PRRB – which are largely outside the Force's control – would require some flexibility.
Use of Force and new IOPC Guidance
I’m pleased to report that, subject to ratification by BTPA, the Force is set to adopt the IOPC's guidance on the use of force standard in police misconduct cases. Effective from 30 June, this means use of force in such cases will now be judged against the criminal law rather than on a balance of probabilities. There are currently no cases within the misconduct system affected by the change, but going forward, the test will be applied to any that arise.
This matters because officers often have to make split-second decisions, sometimes while alone in a remote location. Being judged after the fact on a balance of probabilities has never felt fair; what should count is whether an officer honestly believed they were about to be assaulted. This change reflects the fast-paced, ever-changing environment our officers work in, and it's one the Federation has welcomed – we've already had a number of questions about it from members.
Op Hampshire and Access to Assault Data
Chief Superintendent Lorna McEwan has taken over as the force lead for Op Hampshire; the nationwide UK police strategy designed to ensure that assaults and hate crimes against police officers and staff are properly recorded, investigated, and supported.
Long-term readers of this blog will know that more often than not, the Federation isn’t notified when an officer or Special Constable has been assaulted on duty. We have been given various reasons for this over the years, but the upshot is, we’re essentially prevented from assisting officers when they’re most in need of our help, and that can’t be right.
Knowing when a colleague has been assaulted would allow us to offer wellbeing support and signpost them to the right services, often before they've had to ask. I’m pleased to say Ch Supt McEwan appears sympathetic to our position and she’s going to revisit this sharing of information.
In the meantime, if you are in the unfortunate position of having been assaulted while on duty, please don’t assume the Federation is aware of this. Let your line manager know you would like to hear from us and we’ll do the rest.
The following section of the blog contains members-only content:
Force Uplift
With the Force Uplift programme getting underway, we are involved in discussions around recruitment, retention, training, uniform and equipment. With that in mind it's important that with additional members all our Fed reps should receive the very best training. We currently operate with nearly all 40 Reps being misconduct friend trained with the last cohort of new reps attending a misconduct friend course in Liverpool next month. That is a real achievement for this Federation and a commitment to you as members to provide the best possible support.
We’re also looking at our own practices and training more Reps to deliver the Federation's new recruits and transferee's input. We’re revisiting the content to keep it relevant - so we don’t overload new officers on the first occasion of meeting them – and looking at ways that we can provide additional information over time.
Welfare Vehicle on the Road
The welfare vehicle has had a busy few weeks. Its deployment to the recent tragic incident in Bedford was well received. I am pleased by the speed with which we were able to deploy the vehicle and thank those Reps who gave up their time off to make that happen.
Members at the scene described the vehicle as a lifeline, while some asked why the Federation was the one providing this kind of support. It was always our intention, where possible, to attend major incidents, especially those in more remote locations or in areas where there aren’t existing facilities. There is absolutely a conversation to be had around duty of care and the roles adopted by the Force and the Federation, and that’s something we’re doing in slow time. On the day, our priority was to provide what support we could to those on the ground working in challenging circumstances.
Going forward, the vehicle will carry its own callsign for major incidents, so the Force always knows where it is and what it's being used for. We're also at an early stage of getting the Federation properly involved in operational orders for major events, alongside the welfare vehicle. We will share more on this as this work develops.
The welfare vehicle is currently in Glasgow supporting the Commonwealth Games; a 12-day deployment. Alongside our Fed Reps, Collette Turpie from BTP’s Welfare Team is on hand to drop in and provide welfare support to anyone who needs it.
Lifelines Training for Reps
A number of our Reps have recently completed the Lifelines training course – a two-day programme, delivered online, covering staying well and understanding resilience, supporting colleagues, and providing psychological first aid after traumatic experiences.
The first day looked at what keeps us well in this job, the things that threaten our wellbeing, and how to recognise when a colleague might need support. The second day built on this, covering how to have helpful conversations, spot the signs that someone might be struggling, and know what to do when you're worried about someone, as well as equipping reps to deliver Psychological First Aid, the internationally recognised model for supporting people after trauma.
Given how often our officers are exposed to potentially traumatic incidents in the course of their work, this is a hugely valuable investment in our Reps, and in turn, in all of you.
Choosing the Awards of Excellence Winners
And finally, I’m pleased to be able to tell you that we have chosen this year's Awards of Excellence winners.
These awards give us the chance to properly recognise the brilliant, often unseen work our colleagues do. Your courage, compassion and commitment don't always make headlines but make a real difference to rail users and staff, colleagues and wider communities every day.
It’s one of the most rewarding parts of my role, and I’m looking forward to seeing the films we are having made to tell each winner’s story. These will be shown at our Awards night in September before being circulated more widely.
Thank you for reading this update.
Ryan Griffiths, General Secretary