Hampshire police praised for Covid-19 efforts in 'year like no other'
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Hampshire Police Federation chair Zoe Wakefield said the Covid-19 pandemic presented ‘new challenges for officers, at work and at home’.
Sgt Wakefield has been in the role for six months, and wanted to ‘personally thank’ officers for their work.
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Hide AdChanges in regulations and legislation has seen officers have to rapidly learn when and when not to issue fixed penalty notices for breaches.
She said: ‘I’m very proud to be representing and supporting all the amazing officers in Hampshire Constabulary.
‘(This year) has clearly been a year like no other. Policing this year has presented new challenges for officers, at work and at home.
‘I’d personally like to thank every Hampshire officer for the part they’ve played this year, on top of everything they normally do, including catching criminals, protecting the vulnerable and finding missing people.
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Hide AdSgt Wakefield added government had not recognised the hard work of police compared to the NHS, and that the public and media had levelled ‘unfair criticism’.
But she said she was ‘optimistic’ about 2021.
She added: ‘But the policing challenges continue with us leaving the EU – we’ve got Portsmouth port within our force area, which is clearly going to be very busy.
‘And we know the Covid stuff is going to keep changing. But hopefully some local events will start happening again, like festivals and football matches.
‘I know my colleagues are up to the challenge and the Federation will continue to do everything we can to support them throughout 2021.”
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Hide AdIt comes as a recent survey showed that 39 per cent of Hampshire police officers who responded to a survey said their morale was either low or very low.
It is the third smallest percentage in British forces. The force ranked as 10th worst for officers feeling financially worse off compared to five years ago.