“We are here to support our members. We only do it for the members. If we can help you, if we can make your job even slightly easier, then it’s our responsibility to do that.”
Chirag Patel has been elected as the new full-time rep for B-Division. The position became vacant after Paul Miller achieved promotion and took a new role with BTP. Chirag, who will also lead on equality, diversity and inclusion for the Federation, took up the post this month.
We spoke to Chirag about his views on the Federation, why support and representation in policing is important and his ambitions for the role, but we began by asking him why he wanted to be a full-time rep, especially given the interesting work he was doing when he applied.
“I've been a Fed rep for three or four years and joined the Federation because I'm passionate about policing and about police officers,” Chirag said. “Part of policing that I really enjoy is looking after other cops, and if I'm in a position where I can do that, which I have done in the past, that's why I applied; really just to help my colleagues.
“I had a brilliant job and quite a specialist role, so there was a trade-off, but this was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down applying for.”
One point of contact
For more than 15 years, BTP Federation had worked in partnership with the Force to enable B-Division to have a full-time rep. This role covered the entirety of B Division, incorporating A and E Divisions, and served as a conduit between the Federation, the Divisional Commander, and PSD. When Mark Bishop, the officer who held the position, retired in September 2022, the role was reviewed. It was reinstated in 2024.
“London is busy,” Chirag explained. “Forget even from a Federation point of view, we have a lot of officers working in London. I think managers need to have one point of contact that they can ring – like HR, for example - as sometimes things need to be dealt with quickly.
“You’re dealing with [Federation] reps who are based all over, who work on different units, and let's not forget those reps are doing this as well as their day job. A lot of the work they do is when they're off duty at home, at night, or on weekends, but the need for representation is 24/7. I think this role is key for that.
“I also think the dynamics of policing have changed. We all joined young, and the supervisors we have also haven't been in service long. There’s nothing wrong with that, but they need that support from the Federation to bridge that gap as well. That’s another reason I think this is an important role; to be that liaison and help all of our members.”
Representing all members
Representing all members is a pertinent point as with his new role, Chirag Patel also assumes the lead for the Federation’s approach to equality, diversity and inclusion. One of his priorities is to meet with BTP’s Employee Support Associations (ESAs) to learn more about their work and the issues they see affecting those they help.
He said, “It’s about coming together and seeing how we can help them and how they can help us; it’s joint working which will in turn help our members.”
Recognising that members might gravitate towards people they can relate to, and so may seek support from the ESAs before contacting the Federation, he added, “That’s understandable, but it doesn't mean that as a Federation, we can’t support you too. If anything, we can help you more because two heads are better than one.
“So, engagement and building trust are key as well. Each group does amazing work for their members, but there’s no reason why we can't all be working together and assisting each other, especially in today's climate of policing and the challenges on police officers as a whole.”
Challenges and opportunities
Given that the start of a new year often prompts us to reflect and make plans, we asked Chirag what he sees as some of the challenges and potential opportunities of his new role.
“The challenges, I think, are going to be geographical,” he told us. “Getting to know a lot of the cops on the ground. Even though I have been in for 18 years, because I worked in such a specialist unit within crime, I need to get to know people at police stations.”
“I see potential in this role for bridging the gap where supervisors should be doing things without Federation input. Supervisors should know rules and regulations, so I can help supervisors in their journeys as sergeants and inspectors, and not just empower them, but explain that some of this onus is on them, the duty of care is on them. The Federation will help as much as we can. It's a two-way thing. It's not just police officers; it's supervisors as well.”
Chirag added, “I'm proud to be a police constable, and that's a massive driving factor for me. Officers should be encouraged to reach out to their Federation. Use your Fed Reps who are on the division, and if you have any questions, pick up the phone or drop an email.”
Chirag Patel, the new full-time Federation Rep for B-Division, can be reached at chirag.patel@btpfed.co.uk. Contact details for all Federation Reps are available on the Federation’s website (log in to view this content).