Answering surveys is vital in getting your voice heard

TAKING time to fill in the latest police survey will help Essex Police Federation fight for the rights of police officers says the Federation’s Chairman.

The Police Federation of England and Wales has launched its latest survey into Welfare, Demand and Capacity and says it will provide an important insight into the challenges being faced by officers.

And capturing this sort of data is vital if officers’ voices are to be heard at national level says Essex Federation Chairman Steve Taylor.

“I understand some of the feedback we get on surveys,” he said, “some say there are too many and if they are all important then none of them are important.

“But if we are going to put forward reasonable claims about pay to the PRRB then the foundations for these need to be robust and need to be able to stand up to challenges from those who don’t necessarily agree with our viewpoint.

“The firmer the base on which we build our arguments then the better and stronger they will be.”

Not investing the time into these surveys hands the initiative straight back to decision makers he added, who would be able to say that officers don’t care about the issues if they don’t take the chance to make their voice heard.

“We all know how politicians can manipulate things to their own advantage,” he said. “Simply not turning up is an easy win for them.

“These surveys are not just about pay, they feed into so many things, Protect the Protectors, police pursuits legislation negotiations, what the College of Policing does.

“They really are far from a waste of time – this new one takes 25 minutes so please strap on your boots and let’s at least play the game.”