Calls from Philip Davies to ensure all West Yorkshire bobbies are be protected both in and out of the job through a Police Covenant will be introduced next year, Government has announced.
Home Secretary Priti Patel said the Covenant will focus on protecting officers and staff, health and wellbeing and support for their families and cover serving and retired staff.
The move follows campaigning from Mr Davies and Blue Collar Conservatism (BCC), a group of MPs in Westminster trying to shape Government policy in favour of regular voters.
Mr Davies said: “I am absolutely delighted that Government listened and has said a Covenant will be introduced in the next Parliamentary session. I spent time with officers as part of the Parliamentary Police Scheme and I know how hard they work and the tough decisions they must make.
“Our officers and staff across West Yorkshire work tirelessly to serve our communities and we must show we are on their side and support them in any way we can. They run towards danger when others run away and they do it to keep us all safe. We owe them gratitude and I hope this Covenant will go some way to showing them how much they are valued. They need the right equipment to do the job and for laws to be in place to ensure criminals they arrest can be punished and I will do everything I can to do my part to ensure they have what they need to do their job safely.”
The Covenant will address major inconsistencies across forces in terms of financial and emotional support for families of officers killed in the line of duty. It will create a statutory duty to do more to support the police, require Parliament to report annually on the Covenant, cover those both in work and retired whether paid or volunteering and focus on wellbeing of officers.
Its main focus will be on physical protection, health and wellbeing and support for families.
Police attacks continue to remain high and official figures show there were 2,185 recorded assaults on West Yorkshire officers in the 12 months to April this year up from 1,897 in 2018/19. Across England and Wales there were 30,679 assaults recorded in the latest 12-month period.
Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “The police and the families that stand behind them deserve special recognition.
“Their bravery and sacrifices are what keep us and our loved ones safe. I will put the police covenant in law to ensure they will always have the support of the nation.”
More than 1,000 responses were submitted as part of Government’s consultation into the Covenant and 90 per cent of respondents favoured introducing it.
Mr Davies added: “This is a great victory for BCC, it was one of our first major campaigns and I am delighted it is going to happen.”
