The Police Covenant Oversight Board has published its first annual report. Out of its initial 11 objectives, three have been completed and the report provides a further three priorities for the coming year.
There is a legal requirement for the Government to report annually to Parliament on issues relating to police welfare, wellbeing and support. The primary focus of the Covenant is on ensuring the health and wellbeing of members and former members of the police workforce, their physical protection and the support required by members of their families.
The report confirms that new officers are receiving training in mental health resilience, members of the workforce who are the victim of assaults will be properly supported, and forces will soon be held to account for their performance in occupation health standards.
Among the remaining objectives, HMICFRS has agreed to further develop its PEEL Assessment Framework and will be increasing the prominence of their inspection questions around occupational health standards from Spring. There has also been engagement with staff associations through working groups and roundtable events.
Alongside work on increasing awareness of the Covenant, the report confirms that following the work of the Front Line Review, there has been progress in identifying and tackling organisational stressors to help reduce unnecessary demands on officers and staff. The third new priority is to assess the need of police families with new research commissioned by the College of Policing due to be published soon.
The NPCC, working closely with the Home Office and other key stakeholders, finalised a
pledge on 14 July 2022. The declaration was agreed by chief officers in all forces operating
in England and Wales. The Police Covenant is a pledge to do more as a nation to help those who serve this country and specifically to recognise the bravery, commitment, and sacrifices of those who
work or have worked in policing.
www.gov.uk/guidance/police-covenant
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