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We will continue to<br />
represent your views<br />
By Ian Edwards, chairman of <strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong><br />
<strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong><br />
As I so often do when thinking<br />
about these articles, I have just<br />
been looking back on the column<br />
I wrote for this magazine in April<br />
2012 to see how things have moved on.<br />
Back then, I was expressing my fears<br />
that the Winsor 2 report, which had just<br />
been published, had the potential to change<br />
policing for ever – and not for the better.<br />
Among my concerns was the plan to<br />
introduce compulsory redundancy for<br />
officers; an issue that is still hanging over us<br />
since a decision has been deferred until this<br />
July.<br />
On reading my column again, I find<br />
that my viewpoint has changed little. I still<br />
feel the two part report of Tom Winsor –<br />
now Chief Inspector at Her Majesty’s<br />
Inspectorate of Constabulary – could<br />
herald the end of our policing service as we<br />
know it.<br />
Everyone in policing is used to<br />
adapting. We have had to move with the<br />
times and to react to changes within<br />
society. However, I still feel many of the<br />
changes recommended by Winsor in his<br />
review of pay and conditions go way too far<br />
and fail to acknowledge our unique<br />
position in society or our status as servants<br />
of the Crown rather than employees. I<br />
make no apology for repeating what I said<br />
in April 2012:<br />
We are not employees. We swear<br />
allegiance to the Crown. We have<br />
restrictions placed on us and, as such, we<br />
have a unique status in society.<br />
It was this issue that led to the <strong>Police</strong><br />
<strong>Federation</strong> ballot throughout February in<br />
which members were asked if they wanted<br />
the national <strong>Federation</strong> to campaign for<br />
industrial rights for officers. The majority of<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong> members<br />
voted in favour of such a campaign.<br />
However, the <strong>Federation</strong>’s Joint Central<br />
Committee said it could only launch a<br />
campaign if more than half of its total<br />
membership of 133,108 voted in favour.<br />
And not even half (56,333) took part in the<br />
online poll – though 45,651 (81 per cent)<br />
did support seeking industrial rights.<br />
I would like to thank all our members<br />
who did take the time to vote. I understand<br />
4<br />
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