The Police Superintendents’ Association (PSA) has launched a project to capture and understand the experiences of its members with regards to violence against women and girls (VAWG).
The project, launched last week, comes as the NPCC announces a national strategy to strengthen the national police response to this issue.
The association’s members are the Service's most senior operational leaders, serving at the rank of superintendent and chief superintendent in 49 forces.
The ‘listening’ campaign seeks to consult with members in two phases. The first, which is now underway, asks members to complete an anonymous survey, giving their experiences and thoughts on issues within police culture, as well as those affecting policing services to the public.
In the new year, in person* and online focus groups will be held to enable further discussion on these topics.
PSA President Paul Griffiths explains: “It’s very encouraging to see the launch of the national framework today which will ensure consistency around the prioritisation of the complex issues associated with VAWG from every police force.
“We have responded to this crucial issue with the speed and proactivity with which we reacted to the urgent need to address the issues of race and policing. We’re proud to say that our Future Supers Programme is the one of the most advanced initiatives to address the lack of representation at our rank within the whole of policing.
“Now, we want to make an impact when it comes to the vast range of issues connected to the VAWG agenda. We are in a privileged position, representing policing’s most senior operational leaders. These are extremely experienced police officers, many of whom will have served for at least 20 years and will have deep and unique experiences of life as a police officer. This includes what the police workplace feels like, but also how our communities are treated.
“We want to harness this, so we’re creating a programme of ‘listening’, providing a variety of means for our members to tell their stories and give their insight in whichever way they feel comfortable.
“We will use this valuable, anonymised data to feed into national work and play our part in creating secure, inclusive workplaces, and to further our efforts to keep all women and girls safe.”
The project, launched last week, comes as the NPCC announces a national strategy to strengthen the national police response to this issue.
The association’s members are the Service's most senior operational leaders, serving at the rank of superintendent and chief superintendent in 49 forces.
The ‘listening’ campaign seeks to consult with members in two phases. The first, which is now underway, asks members to complete an anonymous survey, giving their experiences and thoughts on issues within police culture, as well as those affecting policing services to the public.
In the new year, in person* and online focus groups will be held to enable further discussion on these topics.
PSA President Paul Griffiths explains: “It’s very encouraging to see the launch of the national framework today which will ensure consistency around the prioritisation of the complex issues associated with VAWG from every police force.
“We have responded to this crucial issue with the speed and proactivity with which we reacted to the urgent need to address the issues of race and policing. We’re proud to say that our Future Supers Programme is the one of the most advanced initiatives to address the lack of representation at our rank within the whole of policing.
“Now, we want to make an impact when it comes to the vast range of issues connected to the VAWG agenda. We are in a privileged position, representing policing’s most senior operational leaders. These are extremely experienced police officers, many of whom will have served for at least 20 years and will have deep and unique experiences of life as a police officer. This includes what the police workplace feels like, but also how our communities are treated.
“We want to harness this, so we’re creating a programme of ‘listening’, providing a variety of means for our members to tell their stories and give their insight in whichever way they feel comfortable.
“We will use this valuable, anonymised data to feed into national work and play our part in creating secure, inclusive workplaces, and to further our efforts to keep all women and girls safe.”
*Any in-person events will be subject to prevailing Coronavirus restrictions.