Merseyside Police Federation

18/10/2026

Merseyside Police Federation joins officers across the country in sending our best wishes to our colleague from Nottinghamshire Police who was shot on duty today.

We wish them a speedy and full recovery and are thinking of them, their family and close colleagues at this time.

A fi***rm has been recovered by officers after a man and a woman fled the scene, detectives say.

13/10/2026

The Independent Office for Police Conduct has urged Chief Constables to review their AI policies to prevent officers and staff "unwittingly falling into the police misconduct system".

The IOPC has written to the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) warning that officers are at risk of "unknowingly committing misconduct if AI policies aren’t fit for purpose, regularly updated, and communicated effectively inside forces".

It follows referrals from police forces to the IOPC in which officers and staff are alleged to have used AI inappropriately and outside what’s permitted in force policy or guidance.

However, IOPC Director General Rachel Watson has warned officers could inadvertently commit misconduct – and potentially face dismissal – unless robust guardrails are in place to help them.

She said: “There is a risk that police officers and staff, believing they are doing the right thing by using AI, perhaps to speed up a process, could end up being investigated for misconduct because they don’t know or understand what’s allowed.

“It’s crucial all police forces have a robust AI policy in place; that’s the start point and it would be concerning if some forces don’t yet have one. The conditions of use need to be clear and communicated effectively, and regularly, to employees. It’s also important policies are frequently reviewed and updated given the rapidly evolving nature of the technology.

“And AI policies need to be effective, not just a tick box, designed around operational reality with clear day to day procedures in mind. Leadership commitment on AI needs to be visible and training built around how to apply AI in practice, not simply awareness of AI systems and conditions.

“I have met with the national lead for Police AI to discuss the matter and written to the NPCC outlining what we’re seeing."

More here https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/news/officers-risk-accidental-ai-misconduct-iopc-warns

08/10/2026

Neurodiversity and Policing webinar upcoming

The webinar will discuss the challenges neurodivergent officers may face and how they can be supported with the appropriate conversations, understanding and reasonable workplace adjustments.

The session will also highlight support services both within the policing and through external organisations.

15 October @ 10.30am.

https://pfewevents.org/neurodiversity-and-policing

05/10/2026

Remembering Insp Elaine Evans, of Merseyside Police, who died from injuries sustained on duty on this day in 1981

05/10/2026

Remembering PC Dave Phillips, of Merseyside Police, who was killed on duty on this day in 2015

01/10/2026

Hate crimes against officers must be recorded in exactly the same way as physical assaults, the Chair of Merseyside Police Federation has said, as he backed the ‘Protect The Protectors: Stop Racism Against Police’ campaign.

Across the UK, at least 5,355 hate crimes – including 80 in Merseyside – were reported to have been committed against officers in the financial year 2025-26, a recent Freedom of Information request found.

Worryingly, Merseyside Police has seen a 21% rise in hate crimes against its officers compared with the previous year. In addition, the true national figure is likely to be much higher, as 13 forces were unable to provide data.

Humberside Police Federation started the campaign ‘Protect The Protectors: Stop Racism Against Police’ in order to collect data on the scale of the issue, raise awareness of what the police are facing, do more to protect officers and staff, and ensure offenders are dealt with appropriately.

Chris McGlade, Chair of Merseyside Police Federation, has lent his support to the campaign. He said he was proud of the work his force was already doing in supporting officers through Op Hampshire, adding: “For me, this is about keeping that momentum going and ultimately making sure that all hate crimes are recorded in exactly the same way as a physical crime against an officer.

“And equally, making sure that those who are responsible for it are held to account because, sadly, the statistics seem to show us that the deterrent isn't where it needs to be, and hate crime against police officers is continuing, even rising.”

Humberside Police Federation’s research found that some officers who have been a victim of a hate crime say they are reluctant to report it, because they don’t want to be seen as ‘difficult’ or to make more work for their colleagues.

Chris urged: “Please don't take that approach, please don’t think: ‘That's just part of the job, sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't.’ It's absolutely unacceptable. We’ll take a stand with you. We're here to support you, and the force will support you.

“No one should come into the workplace and be targeted as a result of their race, religion, gender or sexual orientation. Police officers are humans who come in to work to protect our communities, not to be abused, and the impact these crimes have cannot be understated, this is why we need to stamp it out. If we're all in it together, hopefully it will send a clear message to those individuals who think it's acceptable to target people because of the colour of their skin.”

He also encouraged officers to step in when they witnessed a colleague being racially abused: “Don't wait. When it comes to members of the public, we'd be very quick to step in. But when it’s a colleague, sometimes people think: ‘Do we want to highlight this, how is my colleague feeling about being abused in this way?’. More often than not, they want someone to step in.

“So step in early, show that support, particularly in custody suites, which is where we often see officers being abused. Offenders seem to become braver once they're in a custody suite in relation to the behaviour that they think is acceptable; they feel they can say things to police officers that perhaps they wouldn't if they were still out on the streets.”

Chris reassured Merseyside Police officers who had been racially abused that support was available: “We have an assault scrutiny panel, where we review all assaults, and that includes hate crime. That's about ensuring that the supervisory support, Occupational Health support and Federation support is in place.

“But it's also about ensuring that those officers who were present step up, that the evidence is there, people are completing statements. That we're supporting our colleagues and bringing these offenders to justice to send that clear message. Let's stamp this out.”

28/09/2026

Thousands of police officers who have died on duty were honoured at the 23rd annual National Police Memorial Day.

Members of the police family gathered in Belfast on 27 September, to honour around the more than 4,500 officers who have lost their lives on duty.

1,500 people were in attendance.

The names of those officers who have died in the past year were read out.

PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough, of Cleveland Police, PC Alice Slominska, of Bedfordshire Police, PC Jess Turnbull, of Northumbria Police, PC Mark Chester, of The Ministry of Defence Police, PC Mathew Parker, of Essex Police, PC Bradley Corke, of Kent Police, and PC Faizaan Najeeb, of Northamptonshire Police.

Chris McGlade, Chair of Merseyside Police Federation, said: “For me, this is the most important day in the police calendar, to remember those who've given the ultimate sacrifice. We're here to, on behalf of our colleagues in Merseyside, honour those individuals, remember them, support their friends and family.

“We often talk about never forgetting people, and behind every person, every name, is a sacrifice, is a family, is a story. Sadly, we've seen in Merseyside just how devastating it is when we do lose our colleagues, the impact it can have and the legacy that they leave behind.

“So, it's important we're here today, we never forget and we make sure that their legacy lives on.”
Chris added: “You can see here the incredible support that there is for the family and friends of those who we've lost. I've heard first hand just how this type of support, what it means for them and how it gives them the strength to carry on.”

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood gave a reading at the service, as did the Lady Lieutenant of Belfast Dame Fionnuala Jay-O'Boyle. And Jon Boutcher, Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

During the service, candles were lit for officers in each of the four nations.

Lighting the candle for Northern Ireland was Jackie Gorman, mother of Constable Kevin Gorman, who died 23rd November 2008, alongside three colleagues, while responding to a call for assistance when their police vehicle lost control and struck a wall.

Lighting the candle for Wales was Dorothy Ellis, mother of PC Adrian Ellis, of Gwent Constabulary, who died on 27th September 1989. Adrian was killed in a motorcycle accident while travelling to report for duty.

Lighting the candle for Scotland was Christine Fulton MBE, wife of PC Lewis Fulton, of Strathclyde Police, who died on 17 June 1994, when he was stabbed during a violent struggle as he took action to protect members of the public.

Lighting the candle for England was Chris Prior, husband of PC Rosie Prior, of North Yorkshire Police, who died on 11 January 2025, when she was struck by a lorry while assisting at the scene of a collision.

At the end of the service, the Last Post was sounded, and petals in remembrance of all the officers who have lost their lives were distributed to the congregation.

27/09/2026

Members of the paid their respects to fallen colleagues at National Police Memorial Day in Belfast today.

22/09/2026

There are 4,655 officers listed in the UK Police Roll of Honour.

They will all be remembered at The 23rd National Police Memorial Day this Sunday 27th September in Belfast

https://policememorial.org.uk/national-police-memorial-day/

16/09/2026

Concerns over the number of officers wanting to leave the police service were dismissed at the Superintendents’ Association conference in Stratford this week.

Figures show that in the last financial year, 4,751 police officers voluntarily left the police forces in England and Wales – an increase on the previous year when 4,688 officers left.

And – according to the latest Police Wellbeing Survey - three in 10 police officers and staff say they intend to leave policing within the next year

However Jo Noakes, the interim CEO of the College of Policing, did not share concerns from delegates, describing the risk of officers leaving the service as “relatively low”.

Ms Noakes said: “The data does show that we are still a really, really low turnover sector and that is of course because it is a vocation. I talk to officers everyday who love the job, do a really good job… we just need to be really careful not to take advantage of that and all have a responsibility in that.”

She added “people come into policing because they want to make a difference, they do make a difference and they love it”.

Ms Noakes’ comments were echoed later in the conference by Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe, Police Reform Lead at the National Police Chiefs’ Council, who said the service had “no problem” recruiting new officers.

AC Rolfe said: “Policing has no problem recruiting. Attrition is tracked clearly and tracked better than other public sectors.”

While she said the service must be “alive” to the numbers of people leaving, she said it was “better than other sectors”.

In the Police Wellbeing Survey, those saying they wanted to leave policing blamed poor work/life balance, poor pay and weak leadership are cited as the most common reasons.

At the conference, delegates heard from a Staffordshire Police Superintendent who pointed out the additional financial pressures lower paid officers face following years of below-inflation pay rises leaving police pay flagging behind other public sectors.

He said: “Are we serious about investing in young officers and making this career attractive, or are we making a decision to make people sign up for five years and have a constant churn of people leaving?”

NPCC Chair Gavin Stephens said: “I am not in the camp that this should be a job for five years. Let’s get people into policing and stick with us as long as they can.

“We have to have this as a profession that’s well rewarded. We need to start by reforming the workforce and then getting better pay structure that rewards people better for their skills.”