What would you ask the Home Secretary about policing?

ESSEX police officers who have burning questions for the Home Secretary should contact the Federation office before 16 May.

Amber Rudd will be attending the Police Federation’s Annual conference – which this year will be held in Birmingham – and will respond to officers in a question-and-answer session.

The Conference will take on a streamlined format – being only two days rather than three – and for the first time the public will be allowed into the arena. The theme will be #ProtectTheProtectors and will focus on assaults on officers.

Officers who are unable to attend the conference can follow some of the activity online, through the Essex Police Federation ezine (http://essexfedfocus.co.uk/) and by following the Federation’s twitter feed @EssexPoliceFed and using the hashtag #PFEW17.

Steve Taylor, Federation Chairman, said: “I would encourage our members to stay in touch and to follow what happens to keep updated. And if any of our members would like to ask the Home Secretary anything, to get in touch and we will do our best to put that question to her if it is possible.

“Now that the election has swung in, we are not sure if she is going to be there in the same sense, but I will happily ask that question on their behalf.”

This year will be the first time that non-reps will be attending with the Federation.

Mr Taylor added: “I think that’s great and I’d like to encourage that where possible so that we can broaden the access to the conference. I’d love to see more of the streaming online that we’ve seen in recent years – I think that’s a step in the right direction.”