POST-incident procedures can give officers valuable reassurance of their rights if they are involved in a serious incident.<\/p>\n
The Police Federation of England and Wales has been carrying out extra work to train local representatives in PIP: Reps can now receive a standalone, four-day course which is almost as involved as the training received by a post-incident manager.<\/p>\n
Post-incident procedures are activated in situations where someone loses their life or is seriously injured.<\/p>\n
And Zuleika Payne, Chair of South Yorkshire Police Federation, said such advice is vital to frontline officers.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cThis is about the welfare of the individuals involved, securing evidence, the integrity of the post-incident procedure that will follow and making sure that all parties involved are absolutely clear on what their rights are, what their responsibilities are and what the process is going to entail. This can prove to be an incredibly stressful time for those parties involved.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hope this provides a clear steer on what the post-incident procedure involves and we would certainly hope in turn this gives officers some reassurance. It\u2019s that confidence of knowing what your rights and entitlements are and what support is available to you throughout that process because these are not quick procedures and investigations.\u201d<\/p>\n
In South Yorkshire Police, the force incident manager alerts the on-call Federation rep if a serious incident occurs.<\/p>\n
Zuleika added: \u201cPost-incident procedure sets out very prescriptively the requirements, expectations, rights and responsibilities of the individuals involved. It\u2019s really important that people understand the rules around conferring and the seizure of exhibits, for example.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe most important thread as well, throughout all of this, is the welfare of those individuals involved. It\u2019s knowing that there is a supporting, guiding hand there within the Federation, for what can be a very stressful, traumatic experience for officers. And then accessing the legal advice as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe minute the force incident manager alerts the Federation then arrangements are made for legal representation, that way we can ensure that we have the legal team ready for when we convene in the PIP suite.\u201d<\/p>\n