Staffordshire Police Federation secretary Glyn Pattinson retires on Friday after 30 years serving the Force and almost six years in his full-time Federation role.
Glyn, who first became a workplace Federation rep in 2010, has also chaired the Police Federation National Detectives’ Forum for the last three years.
He is now looking forward to a six-month break before deciding what he wants to do post-policing.
“I have seen enormous changes in policing in my 30-year career, been involved in some harrowing incidents, met some great people and, through my Federation role, supported officers through some incredibly challenging times,” says Glyn.
“I have loved my time within the Force but now feel I need some time to adjust to retirement, reflect on my career and give some thought to what, if anything, I want to do next.
“The last few years have been incredibly difficult as the nation faced the pandemic and policing found itself in the eye of the storm. The pressures on police officers have been immense and the current situation around pay have only added to that.
“But I am proud of my work as a police officer and feel that I have championed the cause of my colleagues while supporting them as a Fed rep and as branch secretary.
“Being a Fed rep can be challenging, demanding and emotionally draining in itself, particularly when you consider most are doing the role voluntarily in addition to their policing post, and I hope that our reps remember to make the time to take care of themselves too.
“We have taken great strides forward in terms of promoting officer wellbeing within the Force, and that includes our reps, and we have worked with the chief officer team to ensure members’ needs are addressed.
“As chair of the Detectives’ Forum, I believe I have helped raise the profile of detectives, sharing the unique challenges they are encountering within their roles.”
Glyn believes he has left the Staffordshire Police Federation branch with firm foundations on which to build.
Phil Jones, who had served as branch chair up until earlier this year, has now taken up a post on the Police Federation of England and Wales National Board as a regional representative for Region 3 which includes Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Mercia and West Midlands.
His role is being taken over by Lee Robinson and Chris Rodger becomes secretary on Glyn’s departure.
The branch’s long-serving treasurer, Pete Blamire, also retired earlier this year and Claire Bond, who is also the branch wellbeing lead, has taken on his post.
“We have an excellent team in place who will take the branch forward and put the members’ interests at the heart of everything they do,” says Glyn.
“They are taking over at a pivotal time in policing. The uplift programme, through which the Government plans to recruit 20,000 police officers over a three-year period, is ongoing and we are yet to see how successful it will be, given that many forces are experiencing recruitment and retention issues.
“We are also in the midst of low officer morale, due in part to the pay crisis and the demands on police officers just seem to grow and grow.
“I will miss policing, but I will be keeping an eye on how things unfold over the coming years.”
