Two issues I encountered in respect of policing culture were officers who held rank returning from mental health related sick leave, and their responsibilities; and long-term abstraction from operational duties.
Phased Return and Responsibilities
‘Phased Return’, in my experience related to hours but not duties, and this was particularly the case in respect of line managers. Often, I had officers who had been absent with complex issues, who were expected to return on limited but growing hours but with no stipulations around what they could deal with. These were line managers, who could be called upon to deal with everything from murder, rape or complex issues for the staff they led. My approach was to take ‘phased return’ at its name, a phased return of responsibilities in addition to a phased return to full working hours. I was flabbergasted when HR colleagues informed me this was a very unusual approach. I spent time with each officer, personally conducting a ‘back to work’ interview and devising a bespoke return plan, with checkpoints. Not one of them liked it at the time, these were truly difficult conversations, but I explained my responsibility to them, their staff and the public. Achieving buy in, I found everyone of these plans, with some bumps in the road, did work. I even had some ‘thank you’ messages months after full returns had been achieved.
Conversations Avoided are not an Answer
I had one officer arrive in my command who had been absent from front line operational duties for 8 years. This followed a period of absence after he was seriously assaulted on duty, and an informal assessment that he had been badly affected by what had happened to him. He had been through several non-public facing departments, and it appeared no one in them had confirmed matters with him.
I grasped the nettle, and found I had a cop who was not sure himself why he was being treated in the manner he was but with the passage of time was now lacking the confidence to deploy operationally. I devised a bespoke plan, involving Inspector’s and Sergeants that saw him out on foot for one hour a day in uniform with a Sergeant to start with, and progressed over time to lone deployment and being back attending calls. The officer is now a tutor Constable. As no one wanted to have the ‘difficult conversation’ the issues for this officer had festered, and the rumour mill about his status had done its work. As a senior leader, cutting through that, devising a bespoke plan and seeing it through saw the organisation benefit.
Conclusion
The moral of the foregoing? Don’t avoid difficult conversations, be prepared to provide time and space for your staff to recover in a manner that suits them but also looks after their staff and those you provide your service for. Everyone will be better for it.
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