Findings from Op Navette

Findings in relation to the third theme: ‘How the wellbeing and resilience of officers might be affected by repeated exposure to incidents of disorder.’

Officers must respond to incidents of violence and disorder that place them at risk of harm. The review examined how the recent violent disorder had affected their resilience and wellbeing. The review also wanted to identify what support was available to them during and after the disorder.

The review found that the psychological and physical rehabilitation support forces gave to officers during and after the disorder was inconsistent. Officers responded positively when forces provided systematic and well-planned wellbeing support. But when forces considered their wellbeing as an afterthought, they felt let down. This tended to be when a force hastily completed its plan to deal with the effects of responding to the disorder.

Officers acted bravely and many were injured during the violent disorder

Commanders and senior officers described exceptional levels of violence. One interviewee said:

“The violence was sustained and directed with extreme malice and with an intent to seriously injure police officers.”

Another stated that:

“What we saw this summer was simply not peaceful protest. It was concerted violent attacks on police officers who were doing their job protecting the public.”

In a witness statement compiled for court proceedings, one POPS commander reflected on what had happened, saying that:

“The vitriol and violence directed towards officers was extreme.”

We learned how some senior police leaders attended local hospitals to visit and support injured officers. Officers spoke highly of their personal support.

Some forces had particularly good plans in place to deal with injured officers. For example, one force transferred injured officers to a safe place where the ambulance service assessed their injuries.

But officers didn’t always get the help they needed.

Some told us about how they had to make their own way to hospital, or how they waited for triage and treatment when still in uniform. This shouldn’t happen. Forces need to make sure they work with ambulance services and hospital trusts to put in place effective protocols that support the treatment of injured officers.

Officers suffered from dehydration, hunger and exhaustion

Because of the arduous nature of policing scenes of violence and disorder, officers need easy access to drinking water. This is particularly the case during prolonged deployments. Some forces made sure officers remained hydrated. But in other cases, water supplies were too far away, or forces simply ran out of supplies altogether. This put officers’ health at risk and reduced their resilience. We learned that some officers needed medical help due to dehydration.

The supply of food and nutrition is equally important. Some forces were better than others at making sure officers were fed. But some officers needed to source food themselves. Accessible toilet facilities also need consideration. Some officers told us that they restricted their water intake over significant periods of time because there were no toilet facilities.

We learned that this particularly affected female officers, whose one-piece personal protective equipment overalls make accessing toilet facilities even more difficult. Female officers told us that forces need to make two‑piece protective overalls available. We agree.

The Police Federation’s welfare vans supported officers and staff during the disorder. But it is unclear whose responsibility it is to deploy them. This means they weren’t always used. It highlights the need for a more considered approach.

The NPWS, charities and other organisations supported officers by providing them with drinks and meals. We were impressed with the assistance given by the Rapid Relief Team. It offered food, drinks and rest spaces for police officers away from the disorder, which they appreciated. But policing shouldn’t have to rely on charitable provision.

Most forces planned to rotate their officers and give them rest breaks. But these plans didn’t always consider the potential of the disorder lasting more than a few hours. The hot weather in late July and early August 2024 contributed to cases of exhaustion and dehydration. We accept that it can be difficult for forces to put effective measures in place during a critical or major incident. But forces need to have the capability to supply officers with adequate food and drinks during extended deployments, and planning and foresight are essential to making this happen.

Offenders targeted some officers disproportionately

Some commanders told us that offenders targeted officers disproportionately. This included supervisory officers (identifiable by insignia on their uniforms), female officers and those who could be identified as from ethnic minority backgrounds. Commanders were particularly concerned about deploying officers from ethnic minority backgrounds because of the level of animosity directed towards them.

The NPCC’s ‘Mobilisation Operational Guidance (PDF document)’ states that:

“Inclusivity and workforce representation considerations must be threaded through the core of any operation, from the planning stage through to delivery and debrief.”

Police operations need to consider the wellbeing of officers and should include inclusivity and representation at all stages. When officers are targeted disproportionately, it can have a profound effect on them, including their relationships within their communities.

A clear link exists between feelings of safety and wellbeing. Offenders may target certain officers at scenes of serious disorder and afterwards. Forces must consider these possibilities and take steps to mitigate it.

Public order public safety officers may need additional support

The College of Policing, the NPCC and the NPWS don’t categorise the role of a POPS officer as high risk. This means POPS officers don’t have automatic access to psychological monitoring or the additional support that is available to officers in other high-risk roles, such as child abuse investigation.

The HMICFRS have previously made recommendations to forces about the wellbeing and support of police officers. In their 2023 report ‘Police performance: getting a grip’, they recommended:

“Forces should review their proactive wellbeing support for officers and staff in high stress roles and situations. They should make sure that it includes targeted support that goes beyond mandatory annual psychological screening.”

Particularly in police forces that face frequent, extensive and severe disorder, there may be a case for reconsidering the status of POPS officers and including them in the definition of high-risk roles. And, on a case-by-case basis, officers deployed in hostile incidents may need to be considered for additional support, especially if their involvement was for a prolonged period.

The Police Covenant: police treatment and rehabilitation

The Police Covenant was introduced under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. The Covenant recognises the unique challenges of policing and acknowledges the sacrifices made by those who work or have previously worked in policing.

The ‘Police Covenant Report 2024: Annual Report’ states that the legislation places a duty on the Home Office:

“To take steps to address detriment suffered by members of the police workforce, their families and those who have left policing relating to their health and wellbeing.

“It is intended to ensure that officers, staff, volunteers and their families are not disadvantaged as a result of their service in the police and seeks to mitigate the impact that this may have on day-to-day life.”

The 2024 annual report outlines planned work on a review of the Police Treatment Centres, to include ‘an assessment of the funding models which underpin the Police Treatment Centres (PTCs) to fully understand the sustainability risks moving forward’.

This is important because the police treatment and rehabilitation centres across the UK offer specialist physical therapy and mental health support. Two of the centres are governed by one organisation, known as the Police Treatment Centres. The other, Flint House Police Rehabilitation, is a separate charity. All three provide treatment for police officers and others, but they operate differently.

The Police Treatment Centres receive no government funding. To be eligible for treatment at one of them, an officer must fund it themselves through monthly subscriptions. This contrasts with the services available to injured military service personnel.

Some forces contribute generously to these residential rehabilitation services, but others don’t provide any funding at all. The Police Treatment Centres depend on officers’ subscriptions for around 85 percent of their funding. They rely on forces’ contributions and other income generation for the remainder. These centres carry out a vital role in supporting officers. Applications to their wellbeing programmes increased after the recent disorder.

It is difficult to understand why the Police Treatment Centres and Flint House aren’t fully funded by contributions from every police force and the Home Office. Officers shouldn’t have to pay for their own treatment or rehabilitation from physical or emotional injuries sustained while on duty. Chief constables and police and crime commissioners should play their part. We also hope that the Police Covenant’s proposals to review the funding of the Police Treatment Centres makes a positive difference.

The police service could make better use of the support offered by the National Police Wellbeing Service

The National Police Wellbeing Service (NPWS), also known as Oscar Kilo, was introduced in 2019 to provide support and guidance for police forces across England and Wales on improving wellbeing. It operates from the College of Policing and works closely with the NPCC.

We found that the NPWS played an important role in supporting the police response to disorder. This was initially through the deployment of its wellbeing vans to Merseyside within 24 hours of the events in Southport. The NPWS fleet of ten vans can be used to provide officers with basic refreshments, rest areas and medical support. As the disorder spread, the NPWS sent its vans to several other forces. This offer of support was made directly to forces by the NPWS and not through any gold group structure.

A senior NPWS representative supported the NPCC and forces throughout Operation Navette. For example, the NPWS lead assembled 78 occupational health and welfare professionals at an early stage of the disorder. This helped the NPWS to offer the NPCC and forces useful advice about officers’ wellbeing, resilience and support, especially if the disorder continued over a long period.

But the NPWS doesn’t form part of the police command structure for major incidents. This means the support it gives takes place through less formal and unstructured processes. It is reviewing how it can have more effective links with National Police Coordination Centre and police command structures. The NPWS believes it could have made a greater contribution if it had been included in operational decision‑making about wellbeing issues.

We feel that the police service needs to actively consider how it can use and support the NPWS when it responds to widespread disorder.

Forces should look for the effects of psychological injuries on public order public safety officers

Forces use different methods to collect information about injuries to officers. This means that national data on officers’ injuries may be unreliable. This is especially the case in respect of psychological injuries, which are often not immediately recognisable.

The NPWS introduced Operation Hampshire to help the police service respond more effectively to assaults on officers. Forces can use an app to report details of assaults and injuries, including psychological injuries. The app has been recommended by the College of Policing.

But some forces appear reluctant to use the Operation Hampshire app and guidance. Their reluctance seems to be based on the additional administrative requirements involved. The NPWS states:

“Using the Operation Hampshire approach would provide a deeper understanding of the true levels of violence used against officers and staff and bring the data together to provide a national overview”.

We agree. If all forces consistently supported the NPWS in the use of Operation Hampshire, it would benefit the police service and injured officers and staff.

The NPWS also offers training in trauma support through the emergency services trauma intervention programme. This programme aims to reflect best practice in early trauma interventions.

Most forces have some form of post-trauma support that officers and staff affected by an incident can access. But forces don’t always follow the best practice approaches of the programme. Some officers spoke positively about the support available to them after the disorder. But not all of them felt this way. Where best practice in post-incident trauma support exists, forces should adopt it and integrate it with other wellbeing services.