Page 33 - Federation magazine: April / May 2017
P. 33
Free hand gels
They say you never get something for
nothing…but what do they know!
All response, neighbourhood and Force
support officers will be able to pick up a free
hand gel, following joint funding from West
Midlands Police Federation and the Force.
The gels will be branded with a message
about Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) - FGM,
we’re not washing our hands of it – and links
in with the Force’s current awareness raising
campaign.
Officers will be able to pick up a hand gel,
along with an FGM card containing
information on spotting the signs of FGM and
what to do if they come across a victim or
someone at risk.
Detective Inspector Wendy Bird, Force lead
on FGM, said: “We hope front-line officers find
these hand gels and information cards useful.
FGM is an under-reported crime, with little Handing out hand gels in Harborne (left to right): PCSO Lorraine Beddoes, PCSO Glen
intelligence – but we know it is happening to Moore, DI Wendy Bird, WMPF interim chairman Tom Cuddeford and PC Michelle Cheshire.
girls here in the West Midlands.
“We want officers to be aware when they
go to jobs, that there are signs they should be looking out for that could indicate FGM, and we want them to pick up on these and be
confident that they know what to do if they have any suspicions.”
West Midlands Police Federation interim chairman Tom Cuddeford added: “When approached by the Force to match fund hand gels for
front-line officers, we thought it was a great idea as these officers don’t always have the time to sit at a computer and read information
about current Force campaigns.
“Therefore we were more than happy to work with the Force on this new and creative way of getting key messages out to officers.”
The gels will be handed out by nominated Federation reps from each NPU.
www.westmidspolfed.com federation April/May 2017 33
