Page 17 - Federation Magazine December 2017 / January 2018

“Forces need to adapt to PIP findings”

clinical expert has explained that must work to create a process where best necessary to separate officers in a PIP
officers in Post-Incident Procedure evidence is achieved without leaving officers situation, particularly with the advent of
A (PIP) situations are often being vulnerable.” body-worn video creating a record.
required to give their account of what John attended the seminar with They covered issues such as post-trauma
happened “too soon” without giving the Federation secretary Steve Grange, triage and how to safeguard the anonymity
brain enough time to rest and process what misconduct lead John Tombs and reps of officers involved.
has happened. George McDonnell and Barrie Punshon. Delegates were told that the number of
Neuropsychologist Dr Jess Millar was During a thorough and detailed event, road fatalities involving police contact stood
addressing a two-day PIP seminar organised other issues discussed included how to get at 32 in the last year, and deaths in custody
by the Police Federation of England and the most out of the post-incident brain, at 55, far in excess of six firearms fatalities
Wales (PFEW) and led by its firearms lead trauma, spatial processing and genetics and - yet there is no APP for custody or roads
Che Donald. body-worn video. policing.
A number of delegates at the seminar In response to feedback from last year’s Tim Godwin from the IPCC gave an
were from West Midlands Police Federation event, the 200 delegates were faced with PIP assurance that the watchdog is making
and deputy chair John Williams said that the scenarios by Dave Blocksidge of Mind Your efforts to speed up its investigations.
Force would have to adapt to any new Evidence, an independent organisation “When we talk about separation of
findings to ensure that officers are which looks at expert witness testimony and officers in a post-incident situation we don’t
supported and protected through any PIP memory training solutions. Dave also mean isolation - they should have access to
situations they may encounter. delivered a session on body-worn video and a Federation rep and support - this is purely
“Dr Miller explained that understanding recall. to maintain integrity,” he said.
of how a brain works after a crucial or During the seminar which was held in Che said the seminar was vitally
traumatic incident has come on in leaps and Staffordshire, DCC Simon Chesterman, important to help aid understanding of the
bounds in recent years,” he said. firearms lead for the National Police Chiefs’ issues.
“It became very clear during the seminar Council (NPCC), spoke via video to stress that “The seminar is not just about firearms
that there is a need for forces to fully invest deaths involving firearms officers are - it is much wider than that and the
in awareness training in this area. “thankfully extremely rare” but when they importance of the PIPs process affects not
“It was also clear that, sometimes, happen it is essential that police follow only firearms officers but all officers involved
expectations placed on crucial police established Authorised Professional Practice in the world of operational policing as well
witnesses are too high. And with only (APP) to protect themselves. as the custody arena, where there are deaths
w
limited PIP training currently offered, forces He said that it should not always be and serious injuries,” he said.

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