What's New? BAWP News...

A charity event is being held at the 'Junction' in Goole on Thursday 23 September to raise funds for a defibrillator for the area. The main performer will be actress and singer Heather Peace, who performs a relaxed acoustic chill-out session. Best known for her roles as Sally ‘Gracie’ Fields in London’s Burning, Sgt Becca Gallagher in Ultimate Force and Fiona James in the BBC TV series The Chase, Heather will be on hand to meet her audience afterwards in Junction’s Walkway Café Bar. Heather is an accomplished singer and reached the UK charts in 2000 with her version of the Bette Midler classic ‘The Rose’, a song she performed in an episode of London’s Burning. For more information follow this link.

The International Police Association, UK Section, has announced that it is extending membership eligibility to include PCSOs, SOCOs (or equivalent job titles) and Investigating Officers.  For full information on eligibility visit

www.ipa-uk.org/Join-Us . The International Police Association (IPA) is a worldwide membership organisation for serving and retired police officers. Its aims have remained consistent since 1950 - to unite through friendship and professional understanding, any serving and retired police officer, without exception

Not sure how this will affect the police service, but here is a report from a TUC circulation.

The use of pre-employment medicals to weed out applicants on health grounds is to become illegal. Changes introduced under the Equality Act 2010 and that take effect from October 2010 mean prospective employers cannot ask health questions of applicants 'until the applicant has been able to successfully pass an interview, or some other assessment, to show that they meet some of the non-health requirements of the job,' says a TUC briefing. There are some limited exceptions, the new TUC briefing adds, including questions designed to assess whether an applicant 'would be able to carry out a core function of the job, with reasonable adjustments having been made as appropriate' and positive efforts to employ workers with disabilities. TUC head of health and safety Hugh Robertson commented: 'Far too many employers still ask potential employees to fill in a health questionnaire or even take a medical examination before they are offered a job. The TUC welcomes the ban on this which will stop employers weeding out people with a disability or illness before the interview process. Instead they will have to justify any decision not to employ someone on health grounds and show why they cannot be accommodated with adjustments.' He added: 'We know of numerous cases of where someone has been made ill because of stress or bullying, but is unable to get another job because potential employers ask about their sickness absence. It will also help give more disabled people the confidence to apply for a job without the fear that their application will be automatically rejected.' TUC says union representatives should make sure that their employer's recruitment policies are reviewed before the changes come into effect on 1 October

Tom Gorman, an officer in Strathclyde Police, has done a dissertation for an MSc in Risk Management entitled "Management of New and Expectant Moters Within Strathclyde Police: Case Study". An abstract is available here and the full document is available to people within the police service from BAWP Secretary.

The Suzy Lamplugh Trust has announced a number of one and two day courses around personal safety, taking place in Glasgow, Birmingham and London. Details of these on our 'Conferences' page, and also on their own website.

As you may have seen in 'Police Review', Jackie Muller, chairman of the Scottish Police Federation Constables' Central Committee, is running the New York Marathon in November in aid of the Police Treatment Centres.  She hopes to raise £20,000 but is well short of that target at present, so please go to www.justgiving.com/Jackie-Muller  and help her to get nearer!

BAWP's Autumn Professional Development Day on Tuesday 5 October is on the very topical theme "Surviving the Cutbacks". We have assembled speakers from a range of perspectives, and we are sure that both officers and staff will find something of value. The draft programme is available here.  It is being held once again at the Leicester Marriott, where we have been able to secure excellent rates that some more down-market establishments have not been able to match.  

The BAWP AGM will take place on the evening of Monday 4 October, and the papers from 2009 are now available in the Members' Area.

Please visit www.bawpevents.co.uk for full information on costs, and to book.  Places are starting to go, so get in early!

'Working Families' is running another of its excellent events on 29 September, entitled "50+ Understanding, Engaging and Developing your older workforce". At a time when organisations have to do more with the resources they have, the return on talent is more important than ever.  This, coupled with external drivers such as the changes to mandatory retirement age legislation, the aging population and the drop in numbers of young people entering the labour market, will fundamentally change the shape and makeup of the workforce.  Employers need to re-examine recruitment and retention strategies and consider how to engage with, not just Gen Y, but with the generation of so-called older (50+) workers. For full details please see the website

New newsletters have been added to the 'Newsletter' page, including one from Maternity Action and an update on the HPDS scheme.

Hanson Wealth has produced a Police Benefits Portal containing links to discounts and special offers available to members of the police service. Take a look at www.policebenefits.co.uk to see what is on offer.

A Bedfordshire Inspector, Jaki Whittred,  has undertaken some interesting research into management styles of senior women in policing for a Master's degree.  Her dissertation is available here.  If you need any more information, please contact jaki.whittred@bedfordshire.pnn.police.uk