Operation Hampshire

Operation Hampshire provides a strategy, processes and guidance to help us respond more effectively to assaults on police officers and staff.

This section explains all about Operation Hampshire and how your force can adopt it and gives you access to guidance and tips that you can follow at work.

Police officers and staff face confrontation and aggression on a regular basis, particularly those serving in front line roles but being physically assaulted is not something we should accept as 'part of the job'.

All assaults, regardless of severity have an impact of some kind, some more obvious than others. Consider the impact on the victim and their colleagues, on repeat victims, their families, and our profession. This goes for both physical and psychological issues. 

We cannot overlook the fact that the impact of being assaulted is sometimes more damaging than the actual injury in an individual. We are all human beings with our own levels of physical and mental resilience. Our own experiences that help consciously and unconsciously form how we react. The factors to how we react to something are complex and sometimes take time to manifest or resolve.

Through Op Hampshire we are committed to changing the culture in support of our officers and staff by considering the impact and reacting accordingly to the individual’s needs.

Op Hampshire does not suggest implementing special measures for police victims. It simply provides a structure to ensure that we get the basics right for our colleagues as the people who serve and protect the public. It is about getting you the support you deserve.

In doing that we want to make sure:

  • the impact of every assault is considered regardless of injury
  • assaulted officers and staff are victims and will be taken seriously
  • demonstration of effective and meaningful leadership for each case
  • thorough investigation with justice being pursued
  • longer-term wellbeing and support are considered
  • setting and meeting high standards of victim care
  • we learn and continue improve our response for our colleagues

The wellbeing of our colleagues both officers and staff is our priority. There has never been a greater opportunity or need to address this issue and to actually make a change to the way we see our colleagues as victims in the longer term to provide them with the support and justice they deserve.

Forces will have their own respective Operation Hampshire plans in place but through this page officers, staff and supervisors can access advice on how to provide support to their colleagues post-assault. 

Information for victims

It’s important that as a victim you have expectations. This means you can appropriately challenge if you feel you have not received a service or you feel that something is missing. 

Find out more

Initial supervisors guidance

This guidance is for the incident supervisor who is responsible for compliance and immediate officer support.

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Inspectors and secondary supervisors guidance

This guidance is for a local inspector or supervisor who will take responsibility for ensuring key roles and responsibilities are assigned.

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Investigating officers guidance

This guidance is for investigating officers who will take initial responsibility for compiling the victim’s statement and will provide advice to ensure best evidence is captured.

 

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Welfare officer guidance

This guidance is for welfare officers who will usually deal with the victim in the early stages post incident.

 

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College Learn Operation Hampshire training

This training package, available through College Learn, has been designed to raise awareness 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.

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.

Access training

Top tip 1: Initial post assault wellbeing assessment

We want to make sure all officers and staff get the support and justice they deserve if they are assaulted on duty, everyone has a part to play in the process. Read on for what to do after the initial incident.

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Top tip 2: Initial investigation

Investigation skills and knowledge vary and good evidence takes time. This advice and tips are to help you when beginning the initial investigation.

 

 

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Top tip 3: Statement structure

Good evidence takes time and statements can make or break a case as they are often the only evidence available. Here you will find some really useful tips on getting those statements right.

 

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Top tip 4: Victim personal statements

A well-constructed victim personal statement (VPS) is important and provides the court with supporting information to suitably sentence a defendant if the impact on the victim is clear.

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Top tip 5: Victims right to review (VRR)

Victims of crime have a right to challenge decisions. This advice will go through the reasons for this and why we should actively promote the fact this this right exists.

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Promoting Operation Hampshire in your force

We created a full campaign to support you with the roll out of Operation Hampshire in your force. On this page you will find a short film, voiced over by Rav Wilding, TV presenter and former police officer and a package of downloadable assets.

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Case studies

What is your experience of Op Hampshire? Have you been assaulted at work? Do you support officers and staff who may have found themselves a victim of assault?

Some of you have shared your thoughts and experiences.

Read case studies

We would love you to share your experiences and what your force is doing around Op Hampshire so we can share nationally. The more we learn from each other and share best practice the more informed our people will be and together we can reduce the impact of assaults across policing.