Earlier this year we said farewell to Catherine Ridley who retired as the Federation's solicitor after more than 20 years' service. Catherine was succeeded by Runa Hakim, who certainly hit the ground running; several members have already been advised by her.
We asked Runa to tell us a little about her career, what interested her about this role with the Federation and what she's looking forward about working with us.
Let's start with the experience you bring to this role
I was admitted as a solicitor in October 2007. I trained at Horwich Farrally Solicitors in Manchester which is a national law firm specialising in Defendant Personal Injury litigation acting on behalf of insurance companies.
Having worked for many national and international law firms such as Berrymans Lace Mawer Solicitors which is now known as Clyde and Co Solicitors, Blake Turner Solicitors and Kennedys Solicitors, I have gained invaluable experience in dealing with Insurance Litigation as well as Defendant Personal Injury claims comprising large loss claims and Claimant Personal Injury claims consisting of Employers Liability, Public Liability and Fatal Accident claims and reached settlements up to a maximum of £1,5000,000.
My last position was with the Government Legal Department (GLD) as a Litigation lawyer; I was defending claims made against the Ministry of Justice which consisted of large loss personal injury arising from prisoners getting assaulted by other prisoners or prison officers getting assaulted by a prisoner. I have defended claims made under the Fatal Accident Act 1976 because of prison officer losing his life due to contracting covid in the prison, dealing with Inquest due to (death in custody) natural death or contentious such as death by suicide, defending claims made because of breach of Human Rights which could consist of issues such as false imprisonment, I was also dealing defending cases related to data breach. Due to the varied caseload, I was able to master the ability to deal with any cases with a variety of legal issues that were outside my expertise through my excellent research skills.
What appealed to you about the role with the Federation?
The thing that most appealed to me about this role is an opportunity to help Federation members with any legal issues related to employment law and personal injury. I found that the position provides me with autonomy, and it is about providing a good service to members as opposed lining the pockets of a big corporation. I also had wonderful time at the GLD and found that the role at the Federation operates in a similar fashion in that its aim is to provide a comfortable environment for its members. The negative media attention the police service has been getting did not deter me from the position; if anything, it encouraged me to join the Federation to help make a difference.
How have you found things so far?
I am thoroughly enjoying my role. I have taken over a substantial number of cases from my predecessor Catherine Ridley who has done a wonderful job. My first week started with back-to-back conferences with Counsel and Federation members. I already have my first Tribunal Trial in August 2023. I am finding that no two days are the same as one day I am dealing with a vetting failure issue and the next day I am dealing with members with severe stress-related PTSD. Other times I am providing my views on policies related to transgender officers or on reasonable adjustments which would prevent officers suing the BTP. At times I am left with no choice but to recommend members to pursue a claim in the Tribunal or instigate a personal injury claim because of the way members have been treated by the Force.
Is there anything you're particularly looking forward to or challenges you're relishing?
I am looking forward to a time when the working environment of the Federation members is such that they don't have any grievance against the BTP. Having spoken to many members they enjoy being police officers and are doing a wonderful job in taking care of our society. However due to the nature of their roles they are attending the most horrific crime scenes and put their safety at risk. The BTP needs to take care of its employees as they are humans with emotions. BTP also need look into the challenges faced by the protected parties and make sure that they deal with any issues related to discrimination instantly and treat all members fairly and transparently to avoid litigation.
Lastly, what would you like members need to know about your role?
If officers need any legal help, they need to first speak with their Federation Representative who can then assess whether there is a need for them contact the Executive Team. Once the matter is referred to me, I like to review the evidence and speak to the member and their Federation representative. If there is a case, then I would recommend the next steps to take. However, if there are no legal issues and it would be best solved by way of the internal grievance process, I would recommend the members to instigate the grievance process with the help of their Federation Representative.