Colleagues,
by the time you read this article it will be Christmas or early January 2014.
I would like
to take the opportunity to wish you a happy and peaceful Christmas, and a
prosperous New Year, despite the continued bite of austerity and reform
reducing our collective spending power!
I thought a
general update at this time of year may be appropriate rather than a missive on
just one topic so here goes;
You may
recall that my last article was about the affects of Stress, depression and
psychological issues on our staff in relation to sickness absence; this remains
a hot topic both here in GMP and amongst the wider Police Service. The Chief
Constable and the Force SLT are alive to these issues and I hope to have some
concrete news about the Force response in time for my next article, but suffice
to say we need to know more about the nature of the problem before we can
effectively tackle it and make a difference to it...More follows soon.
The pace of
change in Force continues and will do so relentlessly for years to come.
Changes in how we do business day to day and what support in terms of staff and
IT are needed are being explored now for implementation in the years to come. I
urge you all at every opportunity to have your say about the shape of our Force
and what is to come as you are all stakeholders with a vested interest in the
proceedings, not least of all as potential customers when off duty.
The
Government, Winsor, and the Pension Reforms have impacted upon the Police
Service more than at any time certainly in my service but probably in living
memory. The covenant of trust between all sides has been sorely shaken and
Hillsborough, Plebgate, and the impact of the Leveson Review into the press and
media continue to resonate loudly...
As a simple
cop doing an honest job you could be forgiven for thinking that the Government,
media and press are conspiring to besmirch the good name of policing, however
do not forget that outside the Westminster bubble by and large the public still
trust and support what we do every single day. Last Sunday whilst laying a
wreath to the fallen at the Remembrance parade in Prestwich I was singled out
by a member of the public who pointedly shook my hand and told me that we are
still the best Police Service in the world, warts and all ! In fact all the
opinion polls show that Politicians are still near the bottom of the trust
league and Police near the top !....Enough said.
As Chair of
the Sergeants Board I sit on Regional and National Sergeants meetings, bi
Monthly JNCC meetings with both the Chief Constable, and ACC Copley, as well as
Health and Safety meetings on Division, and Executive meetings for the GMP
Federation. I am conscious that I represent the Federation membership in all
these forums and would consequently invite you dear reader to send me your
concerns via email or text and I will raise them in the most appropriate way at
the most appropriate forum and will make sure that I give you a reply once I
have done so...Please note you may also feed back through your Divisional Fed
Reps if you prefer.
Finally I
would just like to wish you again all my best wishes for Christmas and New Year
period and if like me you are working part of it, stay safe and be careful out there!
Ian Campbell
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