New Fed HQ: “A professional, member-safe environment”

THE new South Yorkshire Police Federation offices will provide more room for representatives and members – and greater privacy for all.

The new building at Meadowhall officially opened for business in August. As well as office space for federation officials and staff, the new building features a large conference room as well as a private meeting room for members and any family or legal representatives to meet federation representatives.

Neil Bowles, South Yorkshire Police Federation chairman, said the old offices – based at an operational police station at Maltby – were “very inconvenient for members to come and visit us with a solicitor, a financial advisor or any other member services provider”.

He added: “We thought what the officer experience was? The member, coming to Maltby, an operational police station, whether on duty or off duty, sitting in the foyer and operational cops, their colleagues, walking past them and perhaps wondering, what sort of trouble are they in? Are they getting a divorce? Do they have debt problems? The rumour mill would start flying.

“So [we moved] for two reasons, both for lack of room, and members’ privacy.”

Mr Bowles described the new offices – costing around £135,000 plus VAT and around £25,000 to refurbish – as “an investment of members’ money.” He added: “It is an investment well made – the property will not go down. In 20 years’ time we could be within a quarter of a mile of the HS2 Sheffield station so property prices around here will shoot up.”

And what does he see as the advantages of the new building to South Yorkshire Police officers?

Mr Bowles concluded: “The main advantages for members are that they get privacy, they get an opportunity to come in here, meet privately, anyone they want – their Fed rep, for a discipline matter, equality matter, or solicitors, and it is an easy point to get to – just off the motorway and plenty of public transport access and right next to Meadowhall so they can mix leisure and business if they are off duty.

“It is a dedicated unit – we have got the force systems and the federation systems – everything that we can provide just on a better scale than we did before.”

Pictured left to right are South Yorkshire Police Federation representatives and staff Janet Fairman, Jane Gee, Paul Aspinall, Dawn Mitchell, Neil Bowles and Jim Lucas.

The Federation would like to thank HQ opening sponsors Slater Gordon, Philip Williams Insurance, Police Insure and Simpson Millar.