PSA President Nick Smart delivered his presidential address at the 2024 conference of the association on Tuesday 10th September.

The address was delivered to Policing Minister, the Rt Hon Dame Diana Johnson DBE MP.

Minister, colleagues, guests and members of the media. A very warm welcome to the 2024 conference of the Police Superintendents’ Association.
 
 As a West Yorkshire police officer of nearly 30 years, it is both surreal and humbling to stand on this stage as president of the PSA. It’s a position I’m proud to hold, and a responsibility I do not take lightly.
 
 Superintendents hold a unique and critical role within policing. My colleagues in this room and in every force, are senior operational leaders and decision makers. They will be working long hours,  leading large teams, delivering national strategic change projects, and are responsible for managing the policing response to high risk, critical incidents.
 
 The Police Superintendents’ Association is their representative body, and we exist to support them, to stand up for them and to do what we can to protect their best interests.
 
 We also have a huge responsibility to every holder of the office of constable. We all hold the office of constable. 

With power, in the form of rank, comes responsibility, and we owe it to every officer, staff member and volunteer, to lead with integrity and professionalism, and to fight for positive change in everything we do.
 
 I want to talk about this positive change that we need so urgently, and to call on our policing minister, the home secretary, and the prime minister, to stand by their election pledges, to back their police service, and to help us turn the tide at a critical time for policing, and our workforce.
 
Because now – I fear - we have become a service that is taken for granted.

Minister, you are warmly welcomed here, and we appreciate and value your attendance. I must however question why the home secretary has chosen not to address this audience in person. It is now four years since a home secretary has attended this event in person to speak to superintendents - officers who hold the role of senior operational leaders of 49 police forces. We are of course, disappointed.

As is our tradition, we also invited the shadow home secretary to attend and speak. They could also not attend.
 
We are equally disappointed about this.
 
This is a time for the new government to lay a marker, and show us that things will be different,   that we will no longer face year on year of underinvestment - that our calls for change will not be ignored, and, that we will finally start to feel both valued and respected.  

We will of course extend an invitation to the home secretary to join us next year and hope they will commit to attend.

----------

At last year’s conference, Yvette Cooper, then the shadow home secretary, told this audience that the previous conservative government had worked with a “hands off approach, leaving policing to sink or swim alone”
 
She also said that the Home Office and cross government departments need to work in partnership with police, and “if we want to change, we have to do it together and set shared direction.”
 
Of course, this is what we wanted to hear, but it is also what we desperately need to see. You now have a police service eagerly awaiting the change in tide you have promised, and an invitation to work in partnership with you to create the change we need. 
 
 No one knows policing better than your workforce. Let us help you get it right.

Let’s start afresh with a blank canvas for policing, where the key stakeholders who know about policing – your workforce, those who live it every day, are listened to. 
 
I am acutely aware that this government has been in power for just two months, and that change on the scale we require is not quick.
 
Every person in this room will also recognise the extreme context within which you and your colleagues have been forced to work in recent weeks.
 
But, my appeal to you is to move on your pledges fast. Actions speak louder than words. 
 
Yvette Cooper said on this stage in 2023, when reflecting on the negative state of policing, and the poor relationship between policing and government, that “policing is facing a perfect storm”.
 
That storm is here, it has broken, and you owe it to your police service to navigate a clear way through.  
 
-------
 
Monday 29th July 2024.  A day in our history that we will never forget. Unimaginable horror as a knifed attacker entered a children’s dance class in Southport and murdered three young girls, injuring many others.

Our sympathies remain with their families, loved ones, and communities. 

Somehow, this act of callous violence, led to something none of us could have predicted.
 
Instead of focusing on supporting communities through this tragedy, policing was forced to mobilise resources across the country to deal with widespread unrest, community tensions, and unrestricted violence.
 
Instead of giving the families and communities the time and space to grieve, chaos was unleashed.
 
Policing was placed under intense scrutiny once again, as it worked to protect communities from groups of criminals intent on damaging towns and cities, harming members of the public, and targeting police officers.
 
This recent unrest and the resulting requirement on police, perfectly depicts what we see as the three critical challenges facing policing – resourcing, demand, and workforce wellbeing. 

----------
 
Let’s look at police resources.
 
When the recent disorder took place, public order trained officers were mobilised across the country, mutual aid agreements were invoked, and we responded well.
 
No one will forget the images of police officers, wearing protective equipment, lined up with riot shields and facing waves of relentless violence and disorder.  
 
The prime minister, when describing these officers, referred to the capability as a “standing army of specialist public duty officers”.   

I was questioned on this many times by journalists who wanted to understand more about this unit.
 
Let’s be clear. There were never any “extra” police officers. There was no standing army of officers, waiting and ready on the sidelines. There is no ‘box of riot cops’ to break out.

Public order officers are colleagues who have volunteered to be trained in this specialist capability, similar to officers who choose to become firearms trained, and in addition to their normal roles. There were no extra police officers.

This is a small point, but it is important. Communication is critical. The public would have understood this description to mean that when chaos ensues and there are riots on the streets, we can push a button and bring in extra police to respond.  That simply isn’t true.
 
The reality is and was, that police officers in every force were taken from their day-to-day duties, or had rest days and family commitments cancelled, and were made available to respond where intelligence told us there was a risk of threat and harm. 
 
The policing response has been rightly praised as we often see when we rally in response to major incidents, but what changes?  

Officers stood ready to protect people and property, putting themselves directly in harm’s way and taking them away from their usual jobs. But this had an impact. We have a finite, limited number of police officers, and when crisis happens, other areas of policing suffer. 
 
Difficult decisions would have been made around what to prioritise, with resources taken to deal with the unrest.
 
Simply put - There are not enough police officers to deal with the demand we face.

There has been a chronic under-investment in policing for years and this must change.

Our service has been financially drowning for more than a decade. 

Austerity saw the service paired to the bone, hitting a 40 year low of around 122,000 officers in this period, from a headcount of around 144,000 in 2010.  

Forces were decimated and neighbourhood policing teams – so often referred to as ‘the backbone of policing’, completely dismantled. 

You will find that amongst the police service, there is a widely held dislike of the phrase “uplift programme”. It was a ‘restoration’ programme. For many, including myself, the term is misleading. We have not had our numbers ‘uplifted’ by the last government, we merely had them restored to where they were 10 years ago, pre-cuts, pre-austerity. 
 
The previous government also cited the fact that we now have more police officers than ever before. This is factually correct, but let’s do the maths.
 
 As of March 2023, officer numbers have grown by 3536, or 2.4% since 2010. That equates on average, to an increase of 6 police officers for each of the 43 Home Office forces per year during this 13 year period. 
 
6 officers. Against a rise in population between 2010 and 2020 of an estimated 4.3 million.

At March 2023, 28 police forces had less police officers by 100,000 of population when compared to 2010. 

Again, communication is critical here – what has been promoted by the previous government when it comes to police resources, does not reflect reality. 
 
The NPCC has cited the real financial shortfall we face as being as high as £3.2bn. A staggering figure we do not hear widely discussed.   

We know that the police service is having to look at its own budgets to deal with this huge gap in funding.
 
Minister - where is the police service in the list of national priorities? The evidence we have here suggests it is pretty low down - policing is not a priority. 

We will hear from the newly elected government that they have inherited huge debt.  We do not contest that, and know that our colleagues right across the public sector are also suffering, but we must ask, when the tide will turn for policing?

Was the recent unrest not the perfect example of why a well-resourced, sustainable police[SC9]  service is so essential? 
 
Often, we hear of short-term funding to respond to a failing area - or to fund an innovative project. 

This is always welcome, but it should be alongside a long-term funding formula that enables each chief constable to plan, and to strategically manage resources based on realistic funding.
 
This must also be supported by wider investment in the “broken” criminal justice system. 

You cannot inject funding into police without investing in the Crown Prosecution Service, the prison service and probation services. 
 
The recent examples of ‘swift justice’ were welcomed in response to the unrest. This was the best possible deterrent against this kind of criminality and welcomed by police. 

I must however pose the question of how it must have felt for many victims of serious crime, who were watching this unfold, and who are waiting in excess of two years for their turn at justice?

Or, those who are seeing the perpetrators of crimes being released early because of capacity issues.
 
The criminal justice system is fundamentally broken.  Head of our inspectorate, Andy Cooke, commented on this in an interview only a few days ago, in which he called it “dysfunctional”. He also said that neither the police,  CPS or courts can “hold their head up and say: ‘We’re doing all we can”.
 
I agree with the label he applies to the system, but disagree slightly with the latter. 

We are doing all we can, and ‘all we can’ is not enough, because we are operating on a shoestring.  

Victims are being failed and this must change. The sheer frustration that colleagues at all ranks and in all departments feel at being unable to provide victims with the service they deserve  -is palpable. 

We were promised a Royal Commission into the Criminal Justice system by government five years ago, but there remains no accountability over the failure to deliver this, and the problems simply get worse. 

Now, my colleagues are once again being placed at the centre of a storm that is not of their doing, with the prospect of arresting offenders who can then not be placed in a prison, then dealing with any fallout from the thousands of criminals being released early from today, many who may not have had the proper rehabilitation and release plans. 

Will the public understand the position police officers are being put in here?  Or will we once again be viewed as the service getting it wrong?

Pay is critical within this story of under investment.  We acknowledge this year’s pay settlement of course, but our workforce remains at the mercy of a outdated and ineffective pay mechanism that continues to de-value and misunderstand the police.

We have raised concerns over the PRRB process for many years. Whilst it is positive that the recommendations of the body have been accepted and implemented for the last two years,  showing that the process in place is now being followed – the process itself remains flawed. 

There is no room for negotiation, and often the evidence submitted by organisations with access to key, unequivocal data, is ignored. 

As a result, we are still receiving below inflation pay settlements - year on year.  It’s simply not good enough.

We must also ask, is there a reason why police officers and prison officers received the lowest public sector pay rise this year?

Is it a coincidence that these are also the only two public sector professions that legally cannot strike and get the lowest pay rise?

The position of being a Crown Servant, once honoured, is now being abused in pay decisions. A return to the Police Negotiating Board is overdue and the only way to fairly determine pay for the “can do” service. 

We also face a cruel and unfair situation where tens of thousands of officers are receiving statements in relation to pension contributions they owe.  

These are officers who have already been subject to pay freezes and real terms pay cuts, and now have this bill to pay within 12 weeks.  Or, they can defer the payment until they retire, but if they do, they are charged interest, so the bill just rises. Of course it must be paid, but why charge them interest? This just doesn’t seem fair.
 
This is the result of divisive pensions changes imposed on officers by the previous administration. 

There are ways this could be better handled, we have raised this major issue with government for years, and were ignored. We see no change, and there is still an intention to charge these officers interest. Our new government has the power to change this, and we ask them to do the right thing – remove the interest applied. 
 
The impact of underinvestment must not be ignored. This is not simply about police officers demanding more money, it’s about funding a service that is struggling to provide what communities need and deserve, and creating a career that we can recruit people into and retain.
 
 Recent statistics show that 20% of newly recruited police officers leave within the first three years of their service.

This is a massive attrition rate unlike anything we’ve seen before. A staggering and unwanted statistic. 

Alarm bells should be ringing right across the Service at this situation. Junior officers are simply not paid enough for the risks they take, the sacrifices they make, and the scrutiny they face. 

We are by far the most accountable of all public services and we must of course be held to the highest standards. 

But with that comes the intense pressure and stress of simply trying to do your duty, and with every decision potentially dissected in the future. Accountability is critical, we do not contest that, but we need to pay our people more, look after their welfare, and stop them walking away from the job in droves.  

Similarly, experienced officers of all ranks are offered no incentive to stay. We know that 44% of superintendents can retire in the next six years.  

Almost half could walk out the door, taking decades of experience with them. There is no financial incentive for officers to stay past their retirement date, in fact in many cases they will lose money if they do so. 
 
We now face a future of a massively inexperienced workforce, with almost 40% having less than five years’ service – an increase in this demographic of 150% since 2016.

Conversely, the proportion of experienced officers with over 25 years’ service has reduced by 38%.

This is a  workforce “perfect storm” and represents a huge gap in experienced officers to coach and mentor our junior ranks. 

If action is not taken now to retain experience at all ranks, to financially incentivise those with the skills we need to stay within the service, then the situation will get much, much worse. Minster - urgent action needs to be taken here to address this imbalance, otherwise the workforce will suffer for years. 
 
Let’s consider the wider picture of police demand and community needs. 
 
The recent Police Productivity Review confirmed the millions of police officer hours that could be saved by diverting demand that should not sit with policing.
 
So we must ask - What is the Police Mission in 2024 and beyond?  
 
What does the government want us to do? More importantly, what does the public want us to do? Let’s decide, let’s define it, and let’s measure our performance accordingly.
 
If we do not, we will continue to be the service of last resort, the service that cannot say no, and the service that therefore continues to be viewed as under-performing.

Currently, our mission is so wide, with so much demand, we simply cannot deliver on everything, despite the best efforts of our staff.
 
Let’s look at some examples of demand that should perhaps not sit with the police – calls linked to mental health crises  and investigations into missing people.
 
The Productivity Review found that policing could be spending 2.2 million hours annually dealing with mental health related incidents,  and that 45% involved no immediate threat of serious injury, nor any crime. 
 
 This has been well discussed, and Right Care, Right Person has been nationally implemented. But this is symptomatic of a service that is the service of last resort, taking on the burden of other overstretched public sector partners.  
 
We are not mental health experts, those who are in mental health crisis need professional clinicians, however, all too often, they receive a police response.  

We are still picking up the capacity gaps of other partner agencies, who cannot deal with their own demand. 
 
When it comes to missing people, we are of course obliged to respond to cases where an individual is at high risk of harm. That is not under question, and we will continue to help those in need. 

But the Productivity Review estimated that missing person investigations use the equivalent of 1,500 full time officers per year  - in terms of resourcing missing person investigations.  
 
We cannot keep filling that capacity gap without the unintended consequences that are becoming the norm – something else suffers.

Now is the time to start conversations, to place the spotlight on preventative work that could be led and delivered by partner agencies to stop vulnerable or high risk people going missing in the first place.  

Perhaps then for example, we would have more time to focus on investigations and have a fighting chance of raising standards and delivering swifter and better outcomes for victims.  
 
At last year’s conference, my predecessor called for a national community safety commission that mandates public bodies work together for the benefit of community safety, with clear responsibilities on which they will be measured. 

We must call for this once again. We must demand that partners are mandated by legally binding agreements so that they deliver on their demand,  and so that this work does not automatically fall to police.
 
To finish, I must address wellbeing.  An area that has been a priority for our association for years.
 
To some – I will sound like a broken record on this issue, but- I make no apologies for that.
 
It is baffling to me that we can evidence the extent of the wellbeing crisis in such detail, for so many years and see such little meaningful change.
 
The home secretary has publicly thanked police officers for their recent actions in protecting communities during the period of unrest. 
 
She attended every police bravery awards for the past 14 years, and commends the selfless actions of police officers putting themselves in harm’s way for the safety of others.
 
 In turn, we have told you, year after a year, that our people are suffering, that they’re unhappy, and  that they are unwell. 

66% of our members report low force morale. 87% of Federation members report the same. 

Just 38% of our members – your most senior operational leaders – feel valued. 71% of Federation members do not feel valued. 
 
Most tellingly, only 32% of superintendents would recommend joining the police service. A tragedy in my eyes.
 
We have been painting this picture for years, yet still we see no widespread, urgent action for change.
 
We have the Police Covenant, a commitment to wellbeing support and infrastructure based on care. 

The government must be held accountable for delivering the positive systemic change this agreement sets out. 

The Covenant was meant to be a game changer, but has no real money invested in it to deliver its ambition.  

 

There needs to be urgent funding for its delivery, combined with proper accountability for those responsible for the workforce.

 

If officers are placed under the most severe scrutiny of any service, and are the most accountable of all public servants, then the very least they  deserve is a welfare programme where their needs are met.
 
Police officers are exposed to repeated stresses and may get injured.  

 

Most citizens will experience between three to four potentially traumatic events in their lifetime, whereas each police officer is likely to experience between 400 to 600 in their policing career. 

 

It is well evidenced that these experiences can negatively impact wellbeing, leading to increased mental health difficulties, such as anxiety and depression – and worse. 

 

The National Police Wellbeing Service, under the guidance of Andy Rhodes, has worked tirelessly to improve wellbeing standards.

He has a plan, a good one. It answers the problems on how to deliver consistent wellbeing provision.  But it will cost money.  However, like every other part of policing, it has just had its funding cut - so what message does this give on the value placed on police officers?  
 
We know that police officers face a postcode lottery in terms of the health and wellbeing support they will receive in force, but we still don’t know the precise extent of this. 

Forces are trying their level best, but simply don't have the money or resources to deliver what is needed. 
 
We need a thematic inspection to assess the current provision, to identify the gaps, and to create a baseline to work from, implementing minimum standards that chief officers must be held to account over. 

This must be non-negotiable. But chiefs need money and specialist staff to achieve this. We know that officers see and deal with hundreds of traumatic incidents during their service. We know that many get PTSD. So why do we wait until they break? 
 
Just last week, Martis Media released figures showing that 14,508 UK police officers were signed off work over the financial year due to stress, depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder, 9% up on last year - and 130% higher than 11 years ago.
 
Surely we need to be more pro-active, work on the presumption that officers will suffer trauma  - and put the necessary provision and support in place for them to access help before it becomes overwhelming.  

It’s just common sense, and more importantly, it’s the right thing to do. 
 
Will we be asking for the same thing next year?

How many years of broken morale must we describe?

How high must the attrition rate reach to prompt change?
 
These are not difficult things to put in place, and they are far from a selfish ask.

We need to put staff first. Before processes and spreadsheets. We need to lead with compassion and respect. Staff are our biggest asset.  Look after them, and they will perform for our forces and our communities  - with passion and pride. 
 
In summary, our asks are:

-        Invest in us - good policing costs money. Fund and resource us properly 

-        Define our mission - give us workable and achievable priorities - reduce non-police demand 

-        Care for our people -  value and prioritise our well being

-        And please, listen to us.  Work with us, and let us help you make change - so we can deliver a great service to the public

We all know the term “policing is a job like no other”. Let’s get back to this phrase being rooted in positivity.

Policing should and could still be a career to aspire to, and a job which can bring a sense of achievement and personal satisfaction that is difficult to match.
 
This can happen with the right backing, the right investment, a clear direction and a non-negotiable commitment to caring for our people. 

If we simply keep doing the same thing – policing on a shoestring – then we will get the same results.   

We need to come out of the Groundhog Day scenario – do something different - and invest in the future of policing for the benefit of all.  Thank you.