What we've been up to
Oscar Kilo awards are open
The 2024 Oscar Kilo awards are now open for submissions. If your force has created a project or programme that is making a difference to the wellbeing of your officers and staff, then why not enter it for one of our awards.
The Oscar Kilo awards have been created to recognise the amazing work that has been done and continues to be done, across UK policing when it comes to providing wellbeing support for the people who work for you.
We have seven categories to reflect the seven areas of the Blue Light Wellbeing Framework (BLWF). They are:
- Creating the Environment
- Leadership
- Absence Management
- Mental Health
- Personal Resilience
- Protecting the Workforce
- Occupational Health
This year we have also added two new categories:
- OK9 Wellbeing and Trauma Support Dog
- Police Covenant
2024 will also see a one-off award:
- Innovative Approaches to Improving Deployability
Each year we also present a ‘Special Non Police Award’, for other organisations such as a UK fire and rescue services, who are working towards completing the BLWF. This can be from any of the categories above.
How to enter
You can enter the Oscar Kilo awards by downloading the application form. Before entering please read the guidance which provides full details of the categories and entry criteria.
Closing date for submissions will be Friday 2 August 2024
Awards ceremony and Oscar Kilo conference
If you submit an award entry, you will be invited to join us for our awards ceremony.
This year we will be combining the event with our Oscar Kilo Conference which is taking place on 2-4 December at Crewe Hall Hotel and Spa, Crewe. The winners will be announced at a gala dinner which will be held in the evening of the second day on the 3 December 2024. You will also have the option to join us for the whole conference.
Invitations have gone out to all our member groups to register for the conference. If you have not received an invite and think you should be on the list please get in touch.
Sleep, fatigue and recovery biometrics programme
Over the past two years, we have been working with Merseyside Police, Liverpool John Moores University and international subject matter experts to develop a programme which harnesses the latest in biometric technology, data solutions and online learning.
Our sleep, fatigue and recovery biometrics programme is a 120-day programme which helps officers and staff build a unique and personalised view of their sleep, fatigue and recovery levels.
It has been developed across a number of pilot forces with over 700 officers and staff from a range of roles having taken part so far, including individuals working in firearms, child abuse and serious sexual assault teams, contact management and Crime Scene Investigators.
In May 2024, we are now entering the third phase of this programme with 27 forces across the UK now participating and we are delighted to announce we've been awarded a Police STAR funding grant to conduct a comparative study of this programme with Liverpool John Moores University.
Children's gift packs are on their way
We would like to thank all of you who took the time to enter our giveaway - an astounding 4,500 people from policing families right across the country entered the giveaway, and we were blown away by the response. All the winners will be notified by email week commencing the 13th May and the gift packs will be sent out shortly.
Don’t forget, as well as our Red Robber Raid story, there are lots of other resources for policing families on our families' hub that you can access whenever you need them.
International recognition
Our SRO Dr Ian Hesketh was invited to speak the the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) mid year conference in Texas about how the National Police Wellbeing Service uses surveys to achieve cultural change, and how the surveys support our aim to provide world-class wellbeing support for UK policing with an evidence-based approach to all our services.
With a focus on our annual police wellbeing survey, conducted with Durham University Business School, he modelled and presented the findings from our four previous annual surveys. Ian talked about how we use the results to measure and track how we are doing with our numerous services and interventions, and how the results are critical in identifying new or emerging issues.
The benefits of this presentation for the international policing community are that they can clearly see how the use of data to inform understanding creates an environment in which those in policing have confidence in their organisations ability to address their health and wellbeing.
The Police Chief magazine is the official publication of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. The May 2024 edition see Oscar Kilo taking over the front cover and there's an article written by Yvonne Taylor (our OK Healthy Living Lead) entitled 'The perils of shift work' where she talks about how shift work affects officer wellbeing.
To read the article you will need to subscribe, you can do that here Home - Police Chief Magazine
What's coming soon
Mental health crisis line
In alignment with the objectives of the Police Covenant and our ongoing commitment to support the wellbeing of our officers and staff, Oscar Kilo the National Police Wellbeing Service (NPWS) is proud to introduce a proof of concept for a new 24/7 Mental Health Crisis Line. This service is specifically tailored to address the unique pressures faced by individuals in policing, offering immediate, confidential, and expert support.
Due to the large workforce numbers in policing we’ll be taking a phased approach to ensure we can properly assess need and demand. It will initially be available to all police officers and staff within the North East Region only —covering forces in Northumbria, Cleveland, Humberside, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, and Durham.
This phased approach, which goes live in the forces above at the end of May, ensures that we can maintain the highest standards of service, gather essential data, refine processes and ensure sustainable funding before extending the program nationally.
We'll be providing more information about this on the Oscar Kilo website in due course - so keep your eyes peeled.
Update on the National Police Wellbeing Survey
The National Police Wellbeing Survey, which was scheduled for 2024, will now not take place as planned.
We are very aware that there are multiple demands on forces to take part in surveys from different national programs, in addition to conducting their own. We understand that managing all these surveys can be overwhelming, not just for forces, but for officers and staff too.
It's critical to us that our surveys are truly meaningful. The results should help improve national initiatives and local force provision, but most importantly, they should be meaningful to officers and staff who need to see clear benefits from taking part.
To achieve this, forces need to be allowed enough time to analyse the results of existing surveys and implement any necessary changes to policies, procedures, or practices. This process is vital for bringing about positive improvements and it requires time.
Therefore, to be considerate of the current demands on police forces and to ensure our survey is effective and beneficial, we will not conduct the survey in 2024. We plan to run the survey in 2025 and will keep all forces updated on the next steps.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
Wellness Cafés are open to all
We are delighted that the NPCC Recruitment, Retention and Wellbeing of Investigators, Secondary Investigators and Analysts group have shared these Wellness Café events with us, and have opened them to anyone working in policing.
Taking place throughout the year the Wellness Café’s will be 30 minute online sessions featuring an input from a guest speaker and the chance for delegates to ask questions. The sessions are listed below:
15 May 2pm: National overview
Dr Fazeelat Duran and Prof Jess Woodhams will share the work of the national group and the latest research
12 June 1pm: Spot the signs of burnout
Join Thames Valley Police colleagues Jacky and Dawn for an overview on the signs of burnout and steps you can take to prioritise your mental wellbeing.
9 July 10.30am: Optimising your workspace
Adam Maullin from the Met, will share top tips for creating the right environment for wellbeing, whether you work in the office or at home.
18 September 12 noon: Encouraging a caring culture
Dr Fazeelat Duran will be share research from trauma experts on fostering a nurturing culture that prioritises wellbeing.
25 October 5pm: Self-care
The Wellbeing Team of the Canadian Royal Mounted Police share their research into the importance of a selfcare routine and how to prioritise wellbeing during the working day.
You can register your place for any of the above sessions using the link below: