Assaults against police officers and staff continue to increase. Between April 21 and April 22 there were 41,221 assaults recorded under the assault on a constable classification. Operation Hampshire, the national drive to improve the response to police assaults, has rightly been identified as a priority across UK policing.
A new Operation Hampshire online training package, produced by Me Learning, is now available to anyone working in policing in England and Wales. It has been designed to be accessed by individuals of all ranks and roles so they can increase their understanding of Operation Hampshire.
The course will help officers and staff understand the impact of assaults and talk through the key elements of a basic assaults response plan. There's also some great advice and learning for post-assault supervision including the benefits to officers and staff of a supportive and meaningful response to assaults.
Access the training
To access the course you must have a College Learn account, available to anyone with a .police.uk email, they can be created on the College of Policing website. Once you are logged in just search Operation Hampshire, the course lasts around 40 minutes.
There's more to come
This is the the first of a series of online courses which will cover a wide range of wellbeing topics, designed to help those in policing balance wellbeing with the pressures of the job.
Several of the courses, which are under production at Me Learning, are currently delivered by our Oscar Kilo instructors and are being adapted and incorporated to the digital suite so many more people have access to the training, quickly and without the need to attend a face-to-face session.
Learning will include content on stress and trauma, fatigue risk management, occupational health and the Blue Light Wellbeing Framework. It is hoped this suite of digital learning will encourage greater awareness of wellbeing, highlight ways to spot signs of stress and trauma and provide practical help and guidance through effective signposting to support services.
Our Service Director, Andy Rhodes said;
“The courses that we’re making available draw on the latest research into police mental health and wellbeing combined with the findings of our annual workforce survey which influences where we focus our efforts. Because Oscar Kilo supports a system of over 200,000 people we are determined to make our training and guidance as accessible as possible using experts with a proven track record.”
Shirley Berry, Director Public Sector Transformation at Me Learning:
“At Me Learning we work with lots of police services and so understand how operational demands, the current scale and pace of change and greater use of technology in policing, combined with the increased pressures of day-to-day life, can all have a profound affect on how well individuals manage their own wellbeing.
We are delighted to have been chosen to work with the National Police Wellbeing Service on this exciting project which we feel will make a tangible and significant difference to the health and wellbeing of all those working in policing.”