A Christmas message to members from Essex Fed Chair

CHAIRMAN Steve Taylor looks back on 2018 and looks ahead to 2019 in his Christmas message to members.

“There’s been several stand out achievements from 2018 to look back on as we move into Christmas and the New Year.

The introduction of spit guards is certainly one of them, while we’ve also now got a new Chief Constable BJ Harrington on board.

Importantly, too, towards the end of this year we’ve seen and started to see a growth in officer numbers and those green shoots of investment return.

It’s been a packed year and, of course, we’ve also lost several colleagues, some of them serving rather than retired.

I think we are ending it in a positive space, with the new Chief Constable, with new investment, with a fully-staffed Federation council of local work-based reps, and so we go into 2019 in a far more positive place than we have done in recent years.

As a Federation, there’s plenty to think about in 2019, too.

Shift patterns and getting more Tasers into the hands of officers that need them is high on the agenda.

It’s about getting more officers trained, about getting the right devices and more of them purchased, so that we can ultimately increase Taser coverage to keep our officers and our communities safe.

That’s what your Federation is working towards.

We all know that Christmas can be a difficult time for officers on the frontline, working away from home and away from their families.

Your professionalism and dedication shines through in all that you.

So, this festive season please stay safe and try and look after each other.

We’ll be there for you, too, just a phone call away in case you need us.”