Derbyshire Police Federation

👉 FANCY WINNING A £100 GIFT CARD?

Federation members can put themselves in the running to win a £100 Amazon gift card by completing an important survey for Police Friendly.

The Police Family Finance Index (PFFI) survey gives you the opportunity to have your say about the financial pressures currently on you as someone who earns a living from the profession.

It involves questions asking how you are managing your money and whether you feel you receive enough support around your financial wellbeing.

The aim is to build an ongoing comparison base which can be measured over time, with last year’s survey revealing 68 per cent of officers reported having financial concerns and 56 per cent of officers said their financial circumstances had worsened over the previous 12 months.

By taking part, you will enter yourself into a draw to win one of 10 Amazon gift cards, each worth £100.

ENTER HERE: https://bit.ly/4Buqmjz

💬 PFEW CONFERENCE: CALL FOR INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION INTO OFFICER WELFARE

The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) is calling for an independent investigation into officers' health and welfare during their first five years of service.

Acting deputy national chair Paul Williams issued the call at the Federation’s Annual Conference.

The 2026 Pay and Morale Survey found that officers serving between three and five years reported the lowest happiness and the highest levels of fatigue and anxiety.

Two-thirds of all police officer resignations come from officers reaching the five-year point in their careers.

Paul said PFEW had declared a public health emergency in policing, warning that the service was failing to retain officers just as they built valuable experience.

“We need urgent action to stop policing burning through its people,” Paul said.

“Half of PCs have fewer than five years’ service. Two-thirds of all officers resigning have hit the five-year point and can give no more.

“That is why PFEW is calling for an independent investigation into the health, wellbeing and welfare of officers in their first five years of service, bringing together the data and lived experience needed to put concrete measures in place to better support them.

“And we cannot look away from the gravest consequence. Nearly 20 officers each year die by su***de.

“We have fought for national recording and reporting of police su***des and su***de attempts, called for common minimum standards of wellbeing and pushed for su***de-prevention training,” he added.

⬇️ FULL STORY IN THE COMMENTS

📸 Image credit: Anderson Photography

👮 PFEW CONFERENCE: BADENOCH PLEDGES 10,000 EXTRA OFFICERS

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has pledged to recruit 10,000 additional police officers, including 2,000 in crime hotspots.

However, Badenoch warned that policing cannot continue replacing experienced officers who leave because of mounting pressures and low morale.

Badenoch, who attended the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) Annual Conference and addressed delegates, said officers needed more frontline colleagues, less unnecessary paperwork and better support to do the job.

She also criticised the Labour Government for failing to send a representative to the PFEW conference for the second consecutive year.

“I want you to know that I have your back,” she told delegates.

Badenoch said a Conservative Government would create 50,000 additional prison places, reduce administrative burdens on officers and use technology, including artificial intelligence and live facial recognition, to help investigations.

Badenoch told Conference the scale of the challenge was reflected in PFEW’s latest Pay and Morale Survey findings.

She said the results showed that more than half of officers reported low morale and nearly a quarter intended to resign within two years or as soon as possible.

“We need to recruit the right people and prepare them for the realities of the job,” she said. “Recruitment is only part of the answer. We also need to make sure that once we have good officers, we keep them.

“Policing used to be a career that people loved, but I know many former police officers who didn't feel that way by the end.

“You cannot just keep recruiting new officers to replace the good ones who have left.

“That is no way to run a police service. This should be a job people love. We want you to love your job, and we are going to make it a job that you love again.”

⬇️ FULL STORY IN THE COMMENTS

🗓️ PFEW ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2026: DAY ONE PUTS OFFICER WELFARE, FAIR PAY AND FEDERATION REFORM IN THE SPOTLIGHT

New investment in officer wellbeing, demands for fairer pay and working conditions, and a renewed commitment to organisational change dominated the opening day of the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) Annual Conference 2026.

Held under the theme ‘The Real State of Policing’, the two-day conference opened on Wednesday 21 October, bringing together Federation representatives, national leaders and delegates to examine the challenges facing policing and the action needed to better support officers.

From a multimillion-pound funding announcement to progress on reducing bureaucracy, Day One featured several significant developments:

- Policing Minister Sarah Jones opened proceedings with a video address announcing £2.4 million in funding to improve mental health and trauma support for police officers.

- Former West Midlands Police detective inspector and operational fi****ms commander Rebecca Kalam shared her experiences of challenging discrimination, harassment and victimisation within policing, describing the impact on her career, health and family.

- Acting national secretary Mel Warnes used her conference address to renew calls for substantial improvements to police pay, conditions and workplace protections.

- WAVES, the Federation's Witness and Victim Engagement Support programme, was officially launched.

- There was an update of important progress around the Federation's four-year hashtag campaign.

- The future direction of PFEW was examined during a panel discussion involving Paul Williams, Mel Warnes and interim chief executive officer Gabriel Miland, who acknowledged the damage caused by recent events involving national leadership and outlined proposals designed to rebuild confidence in the organisation.

⬇️ FIND THE FULL STORY IN THE COMMENTS

📸 Image credit: Anderson Photography

🗣️ FEDERATION LEADERS PLEDGE TO REBUILD AND DELIVER MEANINGFUL CHANGE

Police Federation leaders acknowledged the need to rebuild trust, improve accountability, and drive meaningful cultural change during a frank discussion at this year's Annual Conference.

During a frank panel discussion about the future of the Federation, acting deputy national chair Paul Williams, acting National Secretary Mel Warnes and interim Chief Executive Officer Gabriel Milland faced questions about the future of the organisation, its credibility and plans to create a stronger, more united Federation.

The discussion, chaired by host Ian Collins, addressed the challenges facing the Federation following recent events involving its senior leadership, with delegates questioning how meaningful cultural change could be achieved and whether the organisation could restore its credibility with members and the Government.

Opening the discussion, Mel acknowledged that members had every right to feel disappointed and angry about what had happened.

“Members are absolutely right to be shocked and angry, feel let down, I'm sure,” she said, adding: “We've not got things right, and we need to do better. And we're honest about that.”

However, she stressed that the Federation remained an organisation worth fighting for.

“This is a Federation that's worth fighting for, and that's what this transformation programme is about, because we need to build that trust.”

Gabriel outlined the proposed structural changes, explaining that independent reviews informed the transformation programme and produced 49 recommendations.

He said the changes were designed to create a more transparent and accountable organisation, with clearer leadership responsibilities and stronger oversight.

The proposals included replacing the separate national chair and secretary roles with a single general secretary position, reducing the size of the National Board and strengthening the responsibilities of the National Council.

Independent non-executive directors are also being introduced to provide additional scrutiny and challenge.

Gabriel said the changes were essential to ensuring the Federation could properly represent its members.

“We need to get ourselves into a situation where we can be the organisation that our members need us to be,” he said.

READ MORE: https://tinyurl.com/6mv4zftm

< 📸 PIC - A panel of PFEW leaders speak at the organisation's 2026 Annual Conference. Image credit: Anderson Photography >

🎤 POLICING MINISTER PAYS TRIBUTE TO FALLEN OFFICERS AS POLICE FEDERATION ANNUAL CONFERENCE OPENS

Policing Minister Sarah Jones promises £2.4 million for wellbeing support and a major reform programme after the Federation opens its Annual Conference, calling for an honest account of life on the frontline.

Sarah Jones used a video message to open Day One of the two-day event, to pay tribute to officers killed on duty and to promise more support for the mental health of the frontline.

She began by remembering those officers who have died in the last 12 months. “Today and always, we remember their sacrifice,” she said, adding: “We think of their loved ones, and we stand with the policing family.”

Ms Jones spoke about attending the funerals of Cleveland Police Officers Matthew Blades and Tom Clough, as well as Northumbria Police’s Jess Turnbull, adding that any death in the line of duty was ‘the most painful reminder’ of the risks officers face to keep the public safe.

She praised officers for attending emergencies, arresting suspects, supporting victims and reassuring communities. She said she knew officers did so out of ‘duty and commitment to a calling that is much more than a job’.

She told delegates that knife crime was falling and that the rebuilding of neighbourhood policing was taking effect, but acknowledged ‘big challenges’, saying crime was evolving at pace while the system officers work in had not kept up.

She set out a major police reform programme to redesign the national infrastructure, give local teams better technology and kit, put more neighbourhood officers on visible patrols and free officers up ‘to do the work they joined up to do’.

Discussing the wellbeing of members, Ms Jones said that when help is needed ‘it must be accessible, and it must be of the highest quality’.

Discussing the wellbeing of members, Ms Jones said that when help is needed ‘it must be accessible, and it must be of the highest quality’. She then announced £2.4 million this year to expand support services, including better trauma support, expanded psychological risk assessments to identify those at risk earlier, and round-the-clock access to confidential mental health support.

READ MORE: https://bit.ly/3WDgZxX

🤝 CHAIR PRAISES POWER OF 'COLLECTIVE' ACTION

The campaign to ensure the killers of PC Andrew Harper serve the sentences handed to them has demonstrated the strength and power of one voice, says Derbyshire Police Federation chair Lisa Flanagan.

Lisa has welcomed the Government’s decision to prevent people convicted of unlawful killing, including manslaughter, from benefiting from the early release scheme.

The decision means two of the men convicted over the death of PC Andrew Harper, who had previously been eligible to be considered for release, will remain in prison and serve the sentences imposed by the courts.

For Lisa, the outcome is a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when police officers, Federation members, families, politicians and members of the public unite behind a common cause.

Lisa said: “This is an important and welcome decision, not just for Andrew Harper’s family and colleagues, but for police officers everywhere.

“Andrew was carrying out his duty and trying to protect the public when he was killed. The prospect of those responsible being released early was understandably deeply upsetting to the police family.

“But what has happened since then shows the difference that people can make when they stand together."

READ MORE: https://bit.ly/4zVcwWy

SUPPORT FUNDRAISING FOR CLEVELAND OFFICERS' FAMILIES

Branch chair Lisa Flanagan says the on-duty deaths of two officers is being felt right across policing as she encouraged members to consider supporting a financial appeal in support of their families.

More than £970,000 has been raised for the families PC Matt Blades (pictured left) and PC Tom Clough through a GoFundMe page launched by Cleveland Police Federation on Sunday.

PC Clough, 38, and PC Blades, 37, died when a Volkswagen Passat collided with their marked armed response car on the A66 near Middlesbrough. Five other people also died in the collision.

Lisa said: “Our thoughts are firmly with their loved ones, friends and colleagues at this incredibly difficult time.

“When two police officers lose their lives in the line of duty, the impact sends shockwaves right across policing and we feel it collectively.

“The response to the fundraising appeal has been incredibly powerful, and highlights the respect there is for police officers.

“At a time of such immeasurable grief, knowing that people across the country stand alongside the families can provide a small measure of comfort.

“No amount of money can change what has happened, but every contribution is a demonstration of support for the families and will make the coming months and years financially a little bit easier."

READ MORE AND SUPPORT THE APPEAL: https://bit.ly/4hVDEhU

Devastating News as Cleveland Police announce the on duty death of two colleagues in the early hours of this morning.

All of our thoughts are with their families, friends and close colleagues at this time.

Details of the incident on the A66 and the nature of it are still emerging. The officers have not been named at this time.

Lauren Somerville, Chair of Cleveland Police Federation, said: "Words cannot describe the pain the Cleveland Police Family are feeling today.

"Our colleagues who should have been going home to their loved ones at the end of their shifts are not. And that is just unfathomable.

"Cleveland Police Federation will be offering full support to our fallen colleagues families and they have all of our love and care at this time.

"When the time is right we will pay full tribute to our brave colleagues. But we can assure that their sacrifice will never be forgotten."

Lauren added: "Please also spare a thought today for all Cleveland Police colleagues having to go to work, keeping people safe whilst mourning the death of two colleagues.

"We are supporting all close colleagues involved and will continue to do so. If anyone needs support please contact the office or a Federation Rep."