- Conference
- 2025 Police, Probation and CAFCASS Conference
- Date
- 3 June 2025
- Decision
- Carried
UNISON’s National Delegate Conference has the potential to highlight the vital contributions police staff members across England, Scotland and Wales make to the lives of the communities we serve. These staff members perform critical operational, support and organisational functions, working alongside police officers but without powers such as arrest or the protections that officers have at their disposal. Roles like call-takers, dispatchers, forensic staff, file preparation clerks witness protection officers, PCSOs and those that work in dealing with modern slavery, people trafficking and child sexual exploitation, provide services that seek to protect victims and bring perpetrators to justice. Around 65% – 70% of police staff are women, providing balance in a predominantly male police officer workforce.
This conference acknowledges that the work of police staff very often goes unnoticed by the public, media and politicians. Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), also police staff, are integral to neighbourhood policing, maintaining community ties and building relationships and creating intelligence.
UNISON’s ‘We Are Police Staff’ Campaign is something that we should all support and encourage the wider union to get behind.
UNISON also advocates for addressing issues of misogyny, sexism, racism and homophobia within the police service, emphasising that police staff and branches play a vital role in creating a more representative and respectful and accountable police culture. Working in partnership with the organisations equality based support networks is instrumental in improving the culture and bringing a voice to minority groups.
This conference calls on the SGE to:
1)Refresh the ‘We Are Police Staff’ Campaign by promoting awareness of police staff contributions to policing;
2)Highlight the work of police staff through UNISON’s internal and external media, including briefing for regions;
3)Work with political representatives to enhance understanding of police staff roles and our impact on the effectiveness and delivery of policing;
4)Promote respect and understanding towards police staff members within UNISON.