Humberside Police staff member who dedicated career to helping the police family win Outstanding Contribution to Welfare Award

21 June 2023

A Humberside Police staff member who has dedicated her long career to helping the police family in their time of need has won the Outstanding Contribution to Welfare award at the Humberside Police Federation Awards.

Tracey Windas is Secretary of Humberside Police’s Welfare and Benevolent Fund, which offers financial support for members of the police family who find themselves facing difficulties. Her concern for welfare seeps into everything she does, throughout a decades-long career at Humberside Police.

The Chairman of the Welfare and Benevolent Fund, Ian Spain, has worked with Tracey for many years, and says: “Her full focus is helping absolutely anybody, be they officer, staff member, volunteer or retired member, or their families.

“She spends time with the person to fully understand the issues, and has boundless empathy and a practical, problem-seeking focus to help the member out of the crisis they find themselves in, often through no fault of their own.”

Tracey often helps people in her own time, Ian added, saying that she had delivered homemade food and home-grown fruit to a member who was without food while assistance was being arranged for them.

He continued: “It is only right that Tracey’s hundreds of hours of meetings and telephone calls held with desperate members and their families are recognised by this award.”

Tracey also has a full-time managerial role for the Safer Roads Humber Partnership, where a former boss is Mick Harris.
Mick said: “Safer Roads Humber has developed into a £4m business which, although successful, significantly increases the pressure on senior managers such as Tracey.

“But throughout my time working with Tracey, she always saw attending welfare meetings as important, despite many hours and trips out of force. She spent many evenings on the phone trying to resolve a welfare issue, and she often mentioned visiting staff and buying flowers or baskets of fruit. Despite a massive increase in her roads workload, she never stopped fulfilling her role as a welfare representative and I am delighted that she has received this recognition.”

Another colleague, Detective Chris Mann, said: “Tracey now manages – that is to say cares for! – over 80 members of staff. She is a practical, hardworking and conscientious person, with an obvious and genuine concern for the welfare of others.

“Tracey has a reputation for prioritising staff health, welfare and wellbeing, no matter how busy she is. If a colleague in the office is struggling with their health or other challenging circumstances, she will find a way to have a private chat with them to reassure and support them, taking practical steps to assist them.

“She always takes the opportunity to train and upskill, to be best positioned to support others. In recent times, this has included the areas of mental health, menopause, and dyslexia screening and support. She enthusiastically set up the first Humberside Police Staff Wellbeing Room at CTO, personally sourcing the most appropriate furnishings to ensure that it is a comfortable, calm and private space.”

Jen Dooley, Humberside Police Federation Office Manager and Deputy Secretary of the Police Welfare and Benevolent Fund, also sang Tracey’s praises.

Jen said: “Tracey is one of the most caring and kind individuals I have ever worked with, or even come across. She is also a menopause champion and dyslexia assessor for the force. Working with Tracey has inspired me to be a more thoughtful and considerate person – I cannot think of anyone more worthy of receiving this award.”

Finally, Humberside Police Federation Chair Lee Sims said: “Tracey truly goes above and beyond for her colleagues, in her work for the Welfare and Benevolent Fund but also in her managerial job and during her free time. She embodies the ethos of the police family and has made an enormous difference to many people’s lives.”