What we've been up to
'Thank you' campaign
December saw the launch of our 'Thank you' campaign. This campaign offers a unique opportunity for forces, police officers and staff across the UK, to say ‘Thank you’ to family members and loved ones and acknowledge the support they provide on a daily basis.
Working in policing is a challenging role – and not just for the person in the job. Families and loved ones deal with these challenges every day – from taking over childcare duties, accommodating irregular working hours or often spending time without their loved one.
By encouraging forces, police officers and staff, to say ’Thank you’ to their supporters at home, you can give families and loved ones the recognition they deserve.
The campaign is based around a short film which has already been watched by over 1800 individuals. If you haven't seen it yet here's another chance to view the film.
Over 22,500 people complete our Op Hampshire course
Following the launch of the Op Hampshire digital training package it is really encouraging to know that more than 22,500 officers and staff have accessed and completed the online course. A number of forces are making this a mandatory training requirement in order to improve awareness of our expectations for what we should be doing for our colleagues who find themselves victims of assault. You can access the course via College Learn - details in the next article below.
Work is also underway to prepare for the next round of national assaults data collection which we aim to use to provide insights for wellbeing and officer and staff safety. We will be asking every force to contribute and it's one of the reasons why we encourage officers and staff to report offences regardless of the level of assault or injury. Every assault counts.
Visit the Operation Hampshire page for more.
College Learn courses
We now have three courses accessible via College Learn and are delighted at how many of you have access them.
Our Operation Hampshire training course have been taken by almost 23,000 officers and staff.
Both our stress and trauma level 1 course, which was launched last month, and our fatigue risk management course are also becoming popular.
Access the training
To access these courses 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 the course name to get started.
If you have difficulties accessing College Learn please contact the College Customer Contact Centre at [email protected]
Nutrition for wellbeing: Seven days of healthy eating
In January we launched our new seven days of healthy eating programme, developed by nutritionist Anna Earl.
Healthy eating is a challenge for lots of people – but it can be even harder to manage if you work in policing.
The seven days of healthy eating programme is a great way to kick start your healthy eating plan and make taking control of what you eat a bit simpler.
You can follow the plan at anytime by following the link below.
We now have an amazing 250 wellbeing dogs!
Our OK9 wellbeing and trauma support dogs are continuing to be incredibly popular with colleagues across the whole of policing and also with our friends from the Fire and Rescue and Ambulance Services. We now have 250 of these wonderful creatures and attached to each one is a peer supporter colleague who can help officers and staff. The dogs have been used in a variety of ways to provide support in the workplace, they are used to bring smiles and fun when booked to visit a team or unit, they are regularly used at awareness days, training and following incidents where those involved request some additional support.
We are pleased to see that our OK9 wellbeing dogs are also providing a presence at training locations where the subject matter is difficult such as in domestic abuse incidents and crimes against children or when talking about trauma. The OK9 wellbeing dog vehicles now help us to highlight the service and reach more people than ever before! We have one car in the north of England and another in the south that are available for forces to use to bring OK9 wellbeing dogs to their teams. At this year’s OK9 conference on 13 and 14 March we will be sharing best practice and exploring how handlers and dogs can have a positive impact on the wider Police family.
All of our Handlers and dogs have been specially selected for the role and have specific modular training to ensure that the visits are safe, structured and enjoyable. If you would like to have a visit from an OK9 wellbeing dog or know more about OK9 please get in touch.
Neighbourhood policing week of action
Neighbourhood policing week of action took place on 22-26 January 2024. During the week there was lots going on nationally to highlight the vital work that neighbourhood officers, police community support officers (PCSOs) and volunteers do to protect the public and keep people safe.
We supported the College of Policing by hosting a webinar - 'Oscar Kilo – what can the National Police Wellbeing Service do for you'.
Sleep challenge 2024: Supercharge your sleep, and wellbeing
Last month we ran the first of our two webinars 'Supercharge your sleep and wellbeing' which was attended by over 120 individuals
If you could do just ONE thing to improve your wellbeing, what would it be? On 20 February we will be running part two in this Sleeposium series, where sleep expert and TedX speaker, Dr Sophie Bostock, makes the case for sleep. Using examples from colleagues working in policing, she will explain how understanding the science of sleep could make your daily routine more productive, reduce stress, and make you happier.
If you didn't manage to catch the sessions, a recording has been uploaded to our website, you can view it, and all Sophie's previous better sleep webinars. You must be logged into your Oscar Kilo account to access.
Survey on driver fatigue: Final set of prize winners announced
Thank you to everyone who has taken part in our survey on sleepiness and driving in policing. The final set of prize winners have now been selected. Please note: All prizes must be claimed by the 29th of February.
What's coming soon
Blue Light Wellbeing Framework changes
Since the launch of the first edition of the BLWF and Oscar Kilo in 2017, and the subsequent second iteration release in 2020, the wellbeing landscape across policing has continued to see a positive shift. We have seen an increase in investment into police wellbeing from the government, the introduction of the Common Goal for Police Wellbeing, the launch of the National Police Wellbeing Service (NPWS) and now, the Police Covenant. As a result, our understanding of the evidence base and ‘what works’ has deepened.
This has led to the publication of this third version of the BLWF, week commencing 19 February, to ensure, in a spirit of continuous improvement, that it remains an up-to-date and relevant resource for organisations to use. The BLWF will continue to be referenced in HMICFRS PEEL inspections.
All framework owners in forces have been notified of these changes. If you require any further information please get in touch.
Launch of the 'Red Robber Raid' children's book
A role in policing can mean parents and care givers sometimes miss things like family celebrations, mealtimes and bedtimes. This has an impact on the whole family and can be really tough to navigate. It can also be difficult to explain to children why it happens.
That’s why, in March 2024, we’ll be giving away a very special gift to children and young people who have a loved one working in policing.
Gift packs will include a copy of the Red Robber Raid book and activity pack, along with our gorgeous Oscar Kilo dog soft toy.
Red Robber Raid is beautifully written by Natasha Koncewicz, a member of the team at Norfolk and Suffolk Constabulary, to help children understand why their parent or care giver sometimes misses out on family time.
More information will be coming soon on this. We’d love forces to promote the give-away so families in their force can benefit.
It’s also a great opportunity to thank families for what they do and signpost them to the other family resources we have on offer.
Launch of our 'leavers' package
In March we will be launching our brand new leavers package which will provide help and advice on a range of topics that are relevant to those who are voluntarily leaving the Police Service. The programme aims to support a successful transition for those who are leaving, or have already left, useful information regarding the help that is available, and encourage them to create their own plan of action.
Providing support to those who are leaving or who have left the service is a key pillar of the Police Covenant. The Covenant recognises the unique contribution and sacrifices that both police officers and police staff make as a result of their service. Find out more about the Police Covenant.
You'll be able to access this programme directly from the home page of the Oscar Kilo website.
National week of recognition and celebration of police staff
This new annual event has been created by the NPCC to promote and acknowledge the unique and vital role staff play in delivering the policing mission and support further inclusion. The week aims to; increase awareness of the wide range of different police staff roles that exist over the breadth of policing; Drive the knowledge of how the different police staff roles add value delivering the policing mission at the core of the policing family; Develop the pride of police staff for the role that they play; Boost awareness, knowledge and ultimately membership of the senior police staff network and; Raise the profile and kudos of the work undertaken by police staff to generate an interest in a career within policing.
We will be supporting the NPCC throughout the week, which starts on 4 March; by signposting police staff members to highlight some of the wellbeing services and resources that are available for them.
Webinar: The science of nutrition and sleep during fasting
Are you looking for hints and tips to better manage fatigue and hunger during Ramadan? Or maybe you are looking to adopt a restricted hours eating plan, for health reasons?
Working shifts and long hours in policing can interfere with healthy eating and quality sleep at the best of times; However, when observing restrictions for religious or other reasons, this can make our work – life balance even more of a challenge.
Join sleep expert, Dr Sophie Bostock and nutritional therapist Anna Earl, who will help to navigate the challenges by providing hints and tips around getting enough, quality sleep, whilst eating and drinking the right things during non-fasting hours.
Events
Creating an environment for brilliance
This is a one day wellbeing at work conference being held by Devon and Cornwall Police on Wednesday 6 March, 9am to 4pm at Buckfast Abbey, Devon. There will be 100 spaces to attend in person (Devon & Cornwall Police and Dorset Police officers and staff only) and the event will be streamed live on Teams for anyone else working in policing to attend.
Find out about the sessions and register your interest.
Health and wellbeing at work
Some of the team will be speaking at the Health and wellbeing show at the NEC in Birmingham on 12-13 March. National Police Chief Medical Officer, John Harrison will be speaking on Wednesday 13 March at 3.45pm on understanding and managing complex PTSD in policing, and occupational health subject matter expert, Liz Eades will talk about shift work and metabolic syndrome on Tuesday 12 at 3.30pm.
Home Office security and policing conference
On 12-14 March we will be at the Home Office security and policing conference in Farnborough. If you are at this event please come and see us on stand D163. Our Service Director Andy Rhodes will be speaking at the event on the 14th on resilience and wellbeing.
OK9 conference
Almost 50 of our OK9 dog handlers will be coming together in March for training and sharing of ideas, at a two day event. If you are an OK9 handler and you have not yet secured your place please get in touch as there is now limited availability.
Occupational health practitioner event
At the end of February, 80 of our occupational health practitioners from across the country will come together in Leeds for a two day conference - leading in a changing landscape, to share best practice and to learn about the work we are doing to support occupational health in policing.
Oscar Kilo awards
We have pushed back the opening the Oscar Kilo awards for entries to March 2024, as this year we will be announcing the winners at an OK event, yet to be announced, in November.
If there is a piece of work or project that you are proud of and you feel has made a difference to the wellbeing of your officers and staff in 2023, please consider entering our awards. There's plenty of time to get thinking as we are expecting to keep the nominations open until August.
You can find out more and see our previous winners on our awards page.