Get to know your Federation reps: Peter Nightingale

11 September 2021

Peter Nightingale became a Police Federation workplace representative after having personal experience of requiring support himself.

He described the support he received from the Federation at the time as “exceptional” and decided he could offer something similar to fellow officers through his “honest, approachable and realistic” approach.

Peter said: “I have always been interested in pay, conditions and regulations. The legal support I received via the Federation was exceptional.

“I do get an enormous amount of satisfaction from the role and I regularly receive very positive feedback from officers who have needed my assistance.

“I enjoy forming relationships with counsel for the benefit of officers and having a positive impact on getting an officer fit, well and back to work.

“It can be very hard to balance a normal job, my own career progression and dedicating the time required with some Federation commitments which clearly have a massive impact on officers and their families.

“It can also be hard not to get emotionally attached in some cases and can be draining supporting officers facing serious allegations.”

Since becoming a West Mercia workplace rep in 2019, Peter has completed the initial Police Federation training course and a specialist course on conduct and performance.

He said further training was potentially in the pipeline depending on his career path and progression.

Peter joined the Force in 2005, spurred by a desire to “work as part of a team, help people and catch baddies!”

His first posting was on response based in Worcester and he has served as a patrol PC, dog handler and patrol sergeant. His current role is temporary inspector/problem-solving and relief.

Peter believes the police service faces a serious challenge in being able to recruit and retain quality individuals given the lack of pay for responsibilities.

He said: “The police force needs to push back and narrow the field in terms of what we as a service can reasonably focus on with the resources available. 

“Not everything can be a priority and I believe this is a serious conversation that the police need to consult on with the public.”

Peter joked that his advice for new officers just joining the Force would be “Don’t!”

But he added: “It really is a challenging job but is one that you will rarely get bored with and you get to work with some incredibly hard working individuals and make friends for life. 

“Enjoy the job but also remember that it is a job, the most important thing is having a balance with family life and staying safe and well.”