Christmas and New Year Message for Members from Adam Commons, Chair of Leicestershire Police Federation

22 December 2022

Christmas and New Year Message for Members from Adam Commons, Chair of Leicestershire Police Federation.

“The problem with writing a message looking back over the year is that as typical police officers we only remember the difficult times rather than celebrating the good we have achieved in the last 12 months.

“Rather than focus on the negative we need to grasp those positive results and shout them from the rooftops and remind the Country why we have the best Police Service in the world.

“These stories are all around us in Leicestershire – have a quick scroll through our Twitter feed and you’ll see stories of County Lines operations that have protected vulnerable people and brought serious offenders to justice, traffic operations targeting the most serious offences, large quantities of drugs seized with perpetrators taken off the streets, the public order response to Leicester City’s journey through the Europa League.

“The list goes on and on and sandwiched in between are acts of serious bravery from colleagues who have put themselves in harm’s way to protect the public – only last week we saw footage released of Pc’s Elliot Godden and Vishal Dave entering a burning building to evacuate the residents.

“In September we saw the biggest policing operation in Leicestershire for over 10 years in response to the disorder in East Leicester. Every single police officer and staff member should be incredibly proud of their contribution to that operation. All our directorates were affected with hundreds of extra hours worked to maintain the safety of the community.

These are the things we need to remember.

“We are now days away from Christmas and a time of year where our demand levels go up again. Please look out for each other, while some colleagues have young families and look forward to our children’s faces on Christmas morning, for others it’s just another day and one they might be going through alone at a time the cost of living is seriously impacting the ability to do little things like staying warm at home.

“There will be some families facing their first Christmas without a loved one. Send a text, knock on the door, or drop a friend a phone call and ask if they are ok.

“The Policing family is like no other, there is always someone there to help if you let them, including the Police Federation. Our office might be closed while our staff have their break but our Reps are still out there and as ever I’m at the end of the phone.

“You are the bravest of the brave, the heroes that run towards danger, and it is the greatest privilege of my life to represent you and remind you of the incredible work you do. Stay safe.”