Third annual PIPs seminar hailed a success

14 November 2018

Post-Incident Procedures (PIP) can affect any officer at any time - and delegates at a specialist seminar have heard first-hand from officers who have been in the thick of a procedure.

Among the West Midlands delegates at the seminar were Federation deputy chair John Williams who said it was an informative and interesting event.

Staffordshire PCs Tony Collier and Rob Goodwin outlined their own experiences of PIP after they were involved in a pursuit which ended in a three-car collision with victims suffering life-changing injuries.

They told the 225 delegates at the third annual seminar, held in Hinckley, Leicestershire, how with the support of the local Federation, sympathetic bosses and occupational health, they were guided through the investigation procedures after a malfunctioning ‘black box’ system [Spirit] showed their car speeding at 100 mph.

PC Collier said he felt grateful to the Post-Incident Manager, ‘the most important man in the room’ because, he said: “There was a very calm approach, no bullying or finger pointing – these are the people looking after you. I was quite glad there was no separation and although I was very worried, I could feel that wraparound support.”

PC Goodwin added: “The most important thing was that we were given time, there was no pressure put on us. We had great support from the Federation and occupational health. In fact, if I hadn’t had the support of occupational health, I don’t know if I would still be in the job.”

Delegates were invited to take part in a VIPER Firearms Training simulator as part of a session entitled Shoot Don’t Shoot.

Body-worn video (BWV) was also discussed and it was agreed that it is vital tool in the aftermath of a death or serious injury involving police contact but, the officers’ ‘honestly held belief’ remains key to understanding the outcome and whether blame should or should not be apportioned.

PFEW vice-chair Ché Donald summed up the importance of PIP when he said: “Whether you are an officer involved in a serious incident or the family of someone who has lost their life, PIPs can deliver the best possible outcome following a traumatic or life-changing event.”

A more detailed summary of the seminar will appear in the December/January edition of Federation magazine.