Police Covenant for England and Wales

Wednesday 26th February 2020 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Priti Patel)]

Our outstanding police deserve the utmost respect, support and recognition. Brave officers put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe, demonstrating remarkable courage, sacrifice and public duty.

They face extraordinary pressure as they protect the people they tirelessly serve from terrorists, serious violence and exploitation. Their families too often fear for their safety or are left to pick up the pieces when something goes wrong.

From day one, this Government have put our world-class police first and prioritised their wellbeing. That is why we have committed to introducing a Police Covenant in England and Wales to recognise the exceptional job our frontline officers do in unique and challenging circumstances.

We are determined to give our officers the enhanced support they need, so I have accelerated work on this pledge to protect both them and their loved ones. Our commitment to ensuring our police have the recognition they deserve is absolute, so this Covenant will be enshrined in law. This will leave no room for doubt, creating a statutory duty to do more to support our police.

Police officers and staff are uniquely placed to tell me what they need, so I am today launching a public consultation on what the Police Covenant should look like. This sets out our proposals to help the police in three key areas, to improve their wellbeing, increase their physical protection, and support their families.

We are asking for thoughts on our plans for the principle and scope of the Police Covenant and for any new ideas to be considered as at is developed.

The consultation will be available on www.gov.uk and will be open for eight weeks. A copy of the consultation will also be placed in the Libraries of both Houses. I would urge anyone connected with policing, or who has ideas on how to protect our brave officers, to respond.

Our outstanding police officers embody public service and do not hesitate to run towards danger to keep us safe. Nothing is more important that ensuring they have the support, protection and recognition that they need to do their extraordinary job. This consultation will explore how the Covenant can best deliver that.

I thank Members for their continued engagement on this important issue.

[HCWS127]