Lobbying Your Local MP

MP’s Surgeries

House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA

Dear ......................

Federation Open Meeting – 19 September 2011

This is to inform you that the Police Federations within the West Midlands Region, being Staffordshire, West Midlands, West Mercia and Warwickshire, held the above mentioned open meeting at the Burlington Hotel, New Street, Birmingham.

The meeting was attended by over 400 police officers, 60 of which were from Staffordshire Police, who all wished to voice opinions on the proposed 20% cuts to the policing budget and the subsequent loss of 16,000 police officers nationwide.

Within Staffordshire the financial glide path to 2014-2015 signifies a loss of nearly 400 officers from a Force establishment of 2100 to 1770 police officers.

The meeting was themed around the publication of a booklet, which documented individual officers’ experiences whilst policing the August riots in the West Midlands region.

I have enclosed a copy of this booklet for your attention and I know you will agree that it is an impactive document which highlights the substantial bravery, commitment and goodwill that police officers invest in their role to protect the communities within our region.

This commitment and goodwill is tested to the limit when we have politicians, such as the Prime Minister, coming back from holiday claiming it was their actions that stopped the violence.  This is completely untrue as operational policing decisions are, and quite rightly should be, the decisions taken by senior police officers.

Even whilst the riots were still on going Mr. Cameron commented that this will not change the Government’s position on Police Reform.  This has been viewed by the rank and file police officers as derisory as to their commitment over this testing period of time.

No doubt a substantial number of police officers within Staffordshire will be communicating with you on this subject and as the Secretary of their representative body, I look forward to receiving your views on this document and what support you can continue to give to Staffordshire Police officers who remain committed to keeping our communities safe.

Yours sincerely,

Dean Colley
Joint Branch Board Secretary

Support From Unison

Paul McKeever, Chairman of the PFEW has recevied a supportive letter from the General Secretary of Unison wishing the Police Federation a successful Open Meeting on 13 July 2011.

Royal Commission

Colleagues,

Q)    Why do we want a Royal Commission into Policing?

A)    Because we want a Police Service that properly reflects the needs of the public it serves. The last Royal Commission took place way back in 1962 when our community and the policing of it was very different, (the Police did not even have radios back then), and a lot has changed in the mean time. Over the years there has been a lot of tinkering with the service, but nothing which has properly and objectively looked at Policing as a whole. Now, more than ever, is the time for a complete "root and branch" review to enable the Police to deliver a much better service to its communities.

We are rightly proud of the reputation and standing of the British Police Service the world over and together we will do all we can to preserve all that is good about it.

A senior Tory peer has called for a Royal Commission into policing - something which the Police Federation has also been urging, but which has been strenuously resisted by successive government ministers.

The call came from Viscount Bridgeman in a Lords debate on policing ahead of the Police Bill, which will introduce elected 'crime commissioners' to replace police authorities and create a new national crime agency in place of the Serious and Organised Crime Agency.

The peer, who is the Conservative's spokesman for home affairs in the Lords, said that there had been radical changes in virtually everything that affects police work since the last Royal Commission in 1962.

"Is it not time for another Royal Commission which would, I hope, pre-empt the need for a succession of piecemeal police legislation to which we have been subjected in the recent past?" he asked.

A Police Federation spokesman calls on everyone who cares about policing to support the campaign for a Royal Commission on Policing. " With the abolition of Police Authorities, the election of Police Commissioners, reports and recommendations by Hutton and Winsor and the selling of Police functions to the private sector it is clear that the future of Policing can only be established through a Royal Commission. This piecemeal approach to Policing must end. "

A Police Federation spokesman said: "Big things are asked of the police. But when it comes to the fundamentals, we seem to ask the wrong questions at the wrong time.

"After 40-plus years of knee-jerk legislation, it's time for some fresh thinking on the role of the police - what society's expectations are and how we police the 21st Century.

"The reforms which police have faced over recent years have been piecemeal. A new law here, a new regulation there - all lead to confusion of perspectives and policy.

"Not since the 1960s has government stopped and asked: 'What do we want our police to do, how do we want them to do it and what rights and responsibilities do the police and society have towards each other?'

"Given how society, culture, history, the economy and the country have changed since the 1960s, it's now time to take a long, hard look at all the issues and ask some somewhat overdue long-term questions."

TO ASSIST YOU WE HAVE NOW OBTAINED PRE-PRINTED POSTCARDS WHICH CAN BE SENT TO YOUR MP.  THESE WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE AT THE FORTHCOMING ROADSHOWS.  IF YOU CANNOT ATTEND PLEASE COLLECT ONE FROM THE FEDERATION OFFICE.

Lobbying Your Local MP

As part of the campaign strategy that is continuing to roll out, the Federation website now contains a lobbying tool which enables members to email their MPs directly.

This is the link which we encourage you to click on: http://www.polfed.org/get_involved.asp

The first campaign focuses on supporting  Early Day Motion No. 1604, the tabling of which was secured following contact that West Mids JBB had with one of their MPs.

It works by first entering a postcode. The user is then taken through to an area where they will see the template email that has been automatically produced and addressed to the appropriate MP for that postcode. The user can then simply enter their details and send it off or they can choose to change the wording if they so wish. We are planning to create other email campaigns in this way, each focussing on different topics – we will keep you posted. Lobbying your MP is important for a number of reasons:·

• To influence a decision which is about to be made by parliament;
• To gain their help with your campaign - MPs can take a number of actions: submit parliamentary questions, write a letter to the relevant minister, arrange a meeting with the minister responsible.
• To force an MP to show where their allegiances lie

You can lobby your MP by:·

• Setting up a meeting
• Writing a letter or email
• Using the local media

How to find out your MP’s contact details: Who is my MP?

You can find out who your local MP is by typing your postcode into this website theyworkforyou.com

You can write to your MP at the House of Commons by addressing your letter:

MP’s name
House of Commons
London SW1A 0AA

Staffordshire MP's