Without police staff, work on the frontline would grind to a halt

The Director General of Public Safety Jaee Samant writes about the vital role played by police staff in keeping our communities safe.

I am delighted to be able to write this blog for the first Police Staff Week of Celebration and Recognition.

One of the most enjoyable parts of being the Home Office Director General for Public Safety is getting to hear about so many examples of outstanding work by the police. When I’m lucky, I get the chance to visit the police, spending time with officers and staff and getting to know more about the amazing things they do. This gives me the chance to see first-hand the innovative and impressive ways police staff make a real difference.

The idea that police staff only act as an enabling function for police officers is an outdated concept that never really held the ring of truth to any of us in the Home Office. No one who knows anything about how the police tackle crime, support victims and bring offenders to justice can doubt the importance of staff in making our communities safer. Nonetheless, I am constantly amazed by the sheer breadth of work carried out by police staff. It really can provide a career path just as open and exciting as anything you will find in public service or indeed in the private sector.

There are the public facing roles, such as Police Community Support Officers, who provide a visible, friendly and reassuring presence in our communities, tackling anti-social behaviour and reducing fear of crime. There are also the custody suite staff who strike the difficult balance between addressing challenging behaviour and caring for often vulnerable people. Forensics or Scene of Crime Officers, the subject of so many documentaries and dramas, are busy working in often complex circumstances while retaining high levels of professionalism and attention to detail so that the police can make a conviction stick. Police staff investigators provide a huge boost to the resources of CID, give opportunities for people interested in challenges of police investigations and, by retaining some officers after they retire, and excellent way to retain invaluable experience.

There are also the vital office roles that ensure policing can function. As well as administration staff or those working in finance, there are people working in human resources and occupational health amongst a wide range of other roles and job titles. Without them, the work on the frontline would grind to a halt.

Inevitably, this increased diversity in the roles carried out by police staff means that many more of them are exposed to the same levels of danger and trauma. Therefore, the Police Covenant, which covers police staff in exactly the same way as it covers officers, is a promise and the Home Office will continue to ensure that staff continue to be fully considered and your representatives fully involved in developing the right support for the workforce.

Whether it is supporting victims, investigating crimes or working behind the scenes, the variety of roles that police staff carry out are rightly being celebrated today. I am only to happy to add the voice of the Home Office to those singing their praises.