Policy paper

Police Covenant update: May 2022

Published 18 May 2022

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Police Covenant

On 26 February 2020 a public consultation on the Police Covenant was launched. The consultation response was published on 8 September 2020 and proposed three initial areas of focus: physical protection, health and wellbeing, and supporting families.

The Police Covenant Oversight Board, chaired by the Minister for Policing, Crime and Probation, has agreed 11 initial workstream priorities led by the policing sector and government to address the initial priorities.

They were:

  • to consider the issues arising from the Officer and Staff Safety Review (OSSR) recommendations including what can be done to minimise the risks at the roadside and what can be done to address concerns around spitting and blood borne viruses
  • for all forces to put an assaults plan into place by March 2022 and be able to report progress annually
  • to undertake work to capture the barriers to achieving meaningful work and once identified they can be communicated to HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and the Fire and Rescue Service (HMICFRS) for inclusion in PEEL inspection criteria
  • for HMICFRS to include occupational health standards in the PEEL legitimacy pillar requiring forces to have completed a self-assessment by March and 2021 and identified a plan to meet the foundation standards by March 2022
  • to conduct a review into what a good support model for families looks like drawing on established good practice and research from other sectors and international partners
  • to develop a communications plan for the Covenant so the workforce can see evidence of action whilst also feeling confident that outstanding issues are being addressed
  • to summarise key issues that are outside of the remit of the covenant but, nevertheless, interact with issues within scope and impact on the police workforce and their families, for example diversity and inclusion
  • to develop pre-deployment mental health support for those joining the police
  • to appoint a Chief Medical Advisor for policing
  • to develop training for GPs around the role of the police
  • to review the landscape of honours and memorials to make sure we are making the best use of the existing awards

The Police Covenant Oversight Board agreed in April 2022 that a number of workstreams have been progressed and completed. Key activity over the past year includes:

  • roundtables with family members of officers and staff hosted by the Minister for Policing, Crime and the Probation to compliment wider research into support for families
  • embedding pre-deployment mental health support into all Police Education Qualifications Framework (PEQF) providers
  • establishing an interim Clinical Governance Group to drive forward the recruitment and priorities of a Chief Medical Officer for policing
  • a ‘PTSD in the Police: How primary care help’ webinar on the 3 May 2022 on the Royal College of General Practitioners website
  • development of a Police Covenant communications plan and branding
  • a 3-day workshop led by the National Police Wellbeing Service where the clinical team provided detailed advice and support for occupation health teams, attended by over 30 forces
  • the addition of new workstream priorities: to develop a support model for those who leave policing and to progress NHS engagement.
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