John Giblin, Sergeants Central Committee (SCC

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John Giblin, Sergeants Central Committee (SCC) Chairman
Speech to SCC Conference 2014
Conference,
Good morning to you all and welcome back to Bournemouth.
It has been another difficult and challenging year, but it is not all doom, gloom and despondency, for
example:
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Officers from England and Wales provided mutual aid for the G8 summit in Northern Ireland
Police budgets will be cut by a smaller amount than many other Governmental departments
following the latest Comprehensive Spending Review
Keith Vaz MP, chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, set up an annual lecture and
internship in memory of our former colleague Paul McKeever
The Independent Police Commission Report, ‘Policing for a better Britain’, was released
The Police Arbitration Tribunal rejected proposals to introduce compulsory severance, which
was accepted by the Home Secretary
Officers forced out under A19 won their discrimination case
A pay increase of 1% for all police officers from 1st September was agreed
That said there is much talk these days in relation to what is bad about policing, but very little
mention of what is good, particularly in the media, who have been quick to criticise and slow to
praise. There is little recognition for the many thousands of hard working police officers throughout
England and Wales who daily go about their duty dedicated to the task in hand, intent on providing a
professional level of service to the public in protecting the vulnerable and holding to account those
that transgress, with little thought for their own personal safety. Indeed, we can all identify with a
litany of actions from the most mundane to the most courageous that show the amazing spectrum
of work carried out by police officers when people are in need of help and assistance. When the
balloon goes up, who are you going to call? I think we all know the answer to that one.
Although a recent Mori poll put the levels of trust in police officers at higher than that for both
politicians and journalists, 65% in comparison to 17% who trusted politicians and 21% journalists,
many of our colleagues on the frontline have taken a hit to their morale in the current climate of
cuts to policing and radical reform combined with constant negative stories, which really hurts. A
recent study of more than 13,000 officers by the University of the West of England found 9 out of 10
officers did not rate morale as good, which is not surprising. However, the research shows that 79%
of officers still see policing as a vocation rather than just a job, and that 96% are willing to make
sacrifices for the job. Interestingly, police officers were not against change, with 84% agreeing that
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reform is needed. Overall, these finding support a view that it is crucial to engage rank and file
officers about proposed changes to the police service.
So, when the latest bad news story makes the headlines, don’t be too down hearted or dispirited for
the vast majority of the public really do value and appreciate what you do, how you do it and why
you do it. There will always be the small minority of officers who let the side down, but we know the
vast majority do the right thing, because to do otherwise would be anathema to them. We swore an
oath and are true to it, as the proud holders of the Office of Constable we are. Our police service is
still the finest in the world, which makes you the finest police officers in the world. You are also
members of the finest police staff association in the world. Please take much comfort and succour
from that, which I’m sure you do. When some doubt you, remember, there are many who rely on
you for help, guidance and assistance. You are the life blood of policing and the Federation. And
never forget, as sergeants you are the fulcrum upon which the service pivots, the glue that binds it
all together, the golden thread in the food chain of operational service delivery to the public that
ensures excellence throughout the family of forces.
And while the critics debate over the future of the Police Federation of England and Wales: what it
was, what it is and what it should be, I believe we should get on with the job of representing the
welfare and efficiency of our members, by striving to develop the best organisational structure there
is to better represent the issues and concerns of police officers on the frontline. This can only
happen if we all pull together for the common good.
Let us not forget, our purpose as a Federation is to act as the representative body for our 127,000
members, the rank and file officers who bravely put their lives on the line every day to serve and
protect the public. There is a huge amount of excellent work being done in the organisation locally,
regionally and nationally to support these goals. We have a proud history of representation. For
nearly 100 years we have worked hard to ensure police officers have a voice which is heard, that
they are supported during the difficult times and represented in negotiations on their pay, terms and
conditions.
At last year’s annual conference our national Chairman, Steve Williams, gave us a steer when he
called on the Federation to pull together and stand united so that it can best represent its
membership. He said: “We are nothing when we are not united. I really believe our strength is in
our unity.” How right he was then – how right he is now. There is an African proverb: “if you want
to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together. Conference, we need to go together!
As you are all aware, the final report of the Independent Review of the Police Federation of
England and Wales published in January was quite damning. Most notably, it identified that the
Federation was in danger of losing influence with the public, the government and even its own
members. Based on the evidence it received, the Review Panel set out the case for fundamental
reform of the Federation’s culture, behaviours, structures and organisation. The aim is to make
the Federation ‘the trusted voice of frontline officers’.
In a survey undertaken by Ipsos MORI on behalf of the Independent Review, 91% of members
surveyed called for the Federation to change. The report responds to this strong expression of
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support for change. The Review Panel calls on both local and national leaders of the Federation to
embrace the reform package and implement it without delay.
The report raises concerns about the Federation’s lack of openness and transparency about its
affairs and finances, weak accountability to members and the public, its inability to promote good
behaviour and professional standards and internal divisions that have hampered its effectiveness
and reputation. Members, it says, have lost confidence in it and it is losing its influence in
representing its members.
The review explains how the Federation must regain the trust of its members and the public. It
must provide better value for money for members’ subscriptions and for public resources it
receives. It has to increase its professionalism particularly in its standards of behaviour and
conduct. It has to become more unified and speak with a single voice.
There are thirty-six recommendations in the report designed to bring this about. Sir David
Normington, Chairman of the Review Panel, said: “We have no doubt that frontline police officers
need an effective voice to represent their interests. But we are equally clear from the evidence we
heard that the Federation is not fulfilling that function well enough at the moment and needs
major reform.”
The Review Panel undertook a large-scale consultation exercise involving well in excess of 10,000
members, Federation staff and representatives, and stakeholders from across the policing world
and beyond. The Independent Review Panel reviewed the full range of evidence in concluding its
analysis and making a series of recommendations for reform.
In relation to the review, we have much to be positive about. We didn’t wait for our organisation
to be forced into change; we commissioned the review because we understood that any healthy
and vibrant organisation cannot stand still, otherwise we would atrophy, wither and die. After
almost a century since the creation of our organisation things have changed dramatically in the
world of policing.
The review has been published by the RSA, who provided the review secretariat and, if anyone
doubts that we are not committed to change, they should read the report. The Home Secretary
has put on record her support for the review and offered to work with us should any of the
changes require input from the Home Office; ACPO, the College of Policing and the
Superintendent’s Association also support the review. It is our opportunity to put our own house
in order and be fit for purpose for the next hundred years. It is continuity and change that keeps
faith with the past and embraces the future, but what we do now is critical. It was Mahatma
Ghandi who famously said, “The future depends on what you do today.” Conference, the future of
this great organisation and the legacy of those that have gone before is in your hands.
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There have already been a series of meetings involving the Joint Central Committee, rank
committees and Joint Branch Board representatives from each force to discuss the review’s
recommendations and consider how they will be adopted in order to make this organisation
structurally and organisationally more effective and efficient going forward. There is a genuine
appetite to embrace the changes needed to ensure that, as an organisation, we are transparent,
accountable and have the full confidence of police officers and the public.
By many, the Federation is seen as a wilful roadblock to reform and change. That is why we must
not only show willingness to reform, but actually do so. If we cannot accept the need for reform on
our own terms, then the Government will force reform upon us. It was Damien Green, minister of
state for policing, who recently said, “It is for the Federation to reform itself, and it must listen to all
its members when doing so. However, if the very real concerns of rank and file officers are ignored,
or the Federation fails to take steps to ensure that public trust in hard working officers is protected,
then Government will have to act instead, in the interests both of the police and the public.” And
let’s not forget, how the Federation ‘reconnects’ with its members on its core purpose is the subject
of a new inquiry by the Home Affairs Select Committee.
I know the Police Federation of England and Wales to be a great organisation, with representatives
who are working tirelessly on behalf of police officers, the service and the public. We have proved
we are serious about change in initiating the independent review. We now need to carefully
consider and debate the recommendations properly and set ourselves on the road to reform and
continue to be the credible voice for frontline officers. This is a great responsibility, but when the
history books are written, no doubt they will say – this was the Police Federation of England and
Wales finest hour.
There is a brighter future on offer going forward if the Federation reforms in the way recommended
in the review. Change always provokes suspicion and anxiety. No set of recommendations are ever
perfect, but the reviews findings both support the good work that is already done by many and
addresses the weaknesses that have been apparent this last few years. Our future is in our hands
and we are being watched closely from within and without our organisation.
Conference, after 32 years police service, 12 on the Joint Central Committee and 6 as chairman of
the Sergeant’s Central Committee, I have decided to call it a day and stand down from the
Federation at the end of this conference and retire from the service in June. It has been a great
honour and immense privilege to have been your chairman, but it is time to pass the baton on and
move onto other things. I am the past and the present, but you are the future of the police service
and of the Federation. You carry a heavy burden, but I know with such fine men and women as I see
gathered here today, that the future is going to be very bright indeed.
And as our great and much lamented former leader Paul McKeever often said, “Stay proud – stay
strong.”
Thank you Conference.
John Giblin
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Chairman SCC
May 2014
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