Police federation pushes for more access to double crewing to boost morale and protect officers
An association for police officers in the West Mercia region has appealed to the force to increase access to double crewing.
West Mercia Police has committed to reviewing its approach to double crewing - sending two crews to an incident instead of a single one - after a meeting with West Mercia Police Federation, a statutory staff association for officers.
In a meeting last week, West Mercia Police Federation branch chair Steve Butler and secretary Pete Nightingale highlighted the positive impacts of double crewing on officers’ morale, their safety, and their productivity.
The Police Federation for England and Wales’s (PFEW) Pay and Morale Survey found that only 11 per cent of West Mercia Police respondents had access to double crewing at all times, compared to 27 per cent nationally.
Results of the survey revealed that the force had the second lowest levels of morale among forces nationwide, with 95 per cent of officers stating their personal morale was low.
