Health and Safety

Conference is concerned that Health and Safety has fallen off the list of priorities for the service group. Many of our members continue to work in hazardous circumstances, such as environment and stressful situations. It is important that the Service Group ensure so far as is reasonably practicable, that Health and Safety remains a key […]

College of policing

Conference notes with concern that work being undertaken by the College Of Policing is failing to take into consideration the needs and concerns of Police Staff. Conference therefore calls upon the Service Group Executive to review its interaction and representation at the College. The purpose of this review will be to improve relations with the […]

Facts not fiction

We are all experiencing the effects of government cuts and the impact upon the police service. Officers and Staff are best placed to observe the difficulties the austerity program is causing to the service and the people who work within it. It is therefore important that these difficulties are reported accurately and the facts are […]

Collaboration

With austerity set to continue, there is a greater emphasis on forces to seek savings through collaboration. There are already a number of arrangements in place which are both good and bad examples. Conference believes we need to get smarter in how we support branches who are involved in a collaboration process. We therefore call […]

Changes to Shift Allowances – don’t think this will not affect you

Proposals from the employers side to remove or reduce shift allowance from Police staff is a dangerous move which will have an impact on more than just shift workers. Staff who work shifts are paid a shift allowance in recognition of the anti-social hours that they work. This pay makes up a large proportion of […]

Equal marriage – equal divorce

Conference welcomes the vital role of Cafcass staff in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children during family court proceedings. This includes promoting the welfare of children when their parents are separating or divorcing and can’t agree on arrangements for their children, ensuring the children’s voice is heard. Conference notes that lesbian, gay, bisexual and […]

Bring back diversity

Conference notes that the Police Service, the National Probation Service and the 21 Community Rehabilitation Companies are facing ever deepening cuts. Equality and diversity officers, equality initiatives and diversity training can be seen as easy targets, a luxury for the good times, contrasted to so-called front line services. Conference asserts that equality is never a […]

A Shift in Equality

Conference has seen the damaging effect the cuts in the policing budget has had in the workplace over the last few years and with the Conservatives winning a majority at the General Election in May it offers a bleak outlook for all working in policing. We have seen controls rooms reduced and centralised, Custody Suits […]

Police knowledge and experience

Conference notes that police staff occupy a wide range of roles throughout the police service, from Crime Scene Investigators to Intelligence Analysts, from Licensing Officers to Data Protection Officers. Police staff in these and other roles have a wealth of knowledge and experience that they have brought to the role and developed whilst in the […]

Police and Crime Commissioner Elections 2016

Conference understands that along with the return of a Conservative Government comes the continuation of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC) and their elections in May 2016. In 2012 when the first elections took place the turn out of the electorate was poor to say the least, we believe with many communities not understanding what the […]

Attack on Facility Time

Conference, the Cabinet Office Guidance of Trade Union Facility Time & Facilities in the Civil Service, published in October 2012, by the union bashing Tory government has had a devastating impact on our public sector colleagues in the Civil Service and, as a consequence, our even closer colleagues in the Probation Service who are now […]

Privatisation of the Probation Service

Conference notes that the tory government’s success in the general election means that they will now, undoubtedly, continue with their plans for the privatisation of the probation service. Clearly this has major implications for all UNISON members in the service, but there are particular issues facing women workers: 1) The majority of the redundancies in […]

Health and Wellbeing

Conference welcomes all initiatives to improve the health and wellbeing of our members, however there are concerns that need addressing as part of these initiatives namely: 1) Staff are unable to take the refreshment breaks they are entitled to during working hours. 2) Staff are not being paid for overtime worked and pressure is being […]

Regional Collaboration

Many forces across the country will have an experience of shared service arrangements between forces sometimes know as collaboration. The North West is no exception to this but is concerned at the growth of collaboration arrangements that have, in our experience, proved to be an excuse for empire building and an opportunity to try and […]

Neighbourhood Policing Under Attack

Conference with further attacks on the police budget scheduled under the new Tory government over the next 5 years, we will see the concept of neighbourhood policing severely damaged and in some forces disappear completely. A recent report carried out by UNISON, the biggest union for police staff, shows that neighbourhood policing has taken more […]