Page 3 - Here For You: Our Work in 2014

Chairman’s Foreword Last year, we became one of the first branches of the Police Federation to produce an annual review detailing our activities during 2013. Our aim was to be open about our work, transparent with our finances and informative about the work of our full time representatives and staff at Guardians House and our workplace representatives across the Force. In some respects, we simply got ahead of the game. A great deal has been reported about Sir David Normington’s independent review of the Police Federation of England and Wales; a review instigated by the Federation not the Government. Many of its recommendations have made headlines but one seemed to go unnoticed. Recommendation 3 required the organisation, at a national level, to publish an annual public value report online and local branch boards to report on the value they were giving members and the public. Some Federation branches are awaiting the national steer on these reports. We decided to get on with it, in the interest of showing the breadth of our work and the benefits we provide. The review was well received and we are now committed to producing a similar document, in printed and an online format, each year. Last year, I pointed out that while many officers turn to the Federation when they need help with a discipline matter or a problem at work few were probably aware of the full range of our work, which involves representation, negotiation and influence on issues such as pay, conditions and welfare. We also offer other support services and access to competitively priced life and insurance cover - more details of which are available in this review and also on our website. In summary, 2014 was dominated by the Normington review, the Home Secretary’s hard-hitting speech to the national conference, the continuing cuts, pension reforms and the implementation of the Winsor reforms. We seemed to be attacked from all angles. It was a challenging year and one in which the West Midlands was particularly hard hit with the Government’s funding formula seeming to disadvantage us even further. Once again, you, our members, rose to the challenge, trying to overcome the difficulties you face as you strive to maintain a quality service while resources - meaning officer numbers - continue to dwindle, reaching levels not seen since the late 1970s and I would like to thank you all for your efforts. Finally, I cannot let a review of 2014 go by without mentioning our late Police and Crime Commissioner Bob Jones whose sudden death in July shook us all. Bob was a great friend to the Police Federation, to policing generally and particularly to the West Midlands Police Force and the people it serves. Ian Edwards Chairman West Midlands Police Federation 3 47905 WMPF Annual Report 2014.indd 3 30/04/2015 12:06