You really can make a difference by being a Fed rep

13 May 2020

Chris James says he gets huge ‘pride and satisfaction’ from helping others as a Federation representative.

He says he can help make a real difference to people through the role and would encourage anyone thinking of becoming a rep to go for it.

“I have found it to be a great source of pride and satisfaction from helping others,” he said. “However, I would offer the caveat that it’s not easy and you only get out what you put in.

“You need to be committed and willing to be flexible. If you think that it fits in with your shifts and you get to go to a few meetings, then maybe it is not the role for you.

“If you really want to help people – which is the whole reason I joined the police – and are willing to put in the required effort, then you really can make a difference.

“Helping the public is an important part of all our roles, but in my view helping my colleagues can be even more rewarding.

“Nobody knows when they may need the Federation, but when that day comes you want a rep that really cares and is going to do everything they possibly can for you.”

Chris, who is known as Sid by colleagues as a nod to the British comic actor Sid James, joined West Midlands Police in 2007 and started on response working out of Dudley police station. He joined CAPT at Stourbridge until 2016 and is currently posted to Force support based at Tipton.

He was elected as a Federation rep in 2018.

“I was keen to join the Federation as I have always had an interest in representing people from an early age,” he said. “When I was a teenager my local council set up a youth council which I joined and was elected as chair. I enjoyed this experience as it allowed me to ensure the voices of young people were heard.

“During my previous employment working in a call centre for a large international corporation, I became a member of the staff consultancy committee. Our role was to give all staff members the opportunity to have their feedback and ideas heard by management in our centre but also globally.”

He added: “Since joining the police I’ve endeavoured to have a good understanding of the regulations resulting in a number of colleagues coming to me for advice prior to me becoming a rep.

“It was some of these colleagues who suggested that I put myself forward for election. I’ve always thought that the Federation has done some great work, especially locally.

“However, I also felt that it had much more potential, so getting involved was the best way for me to try to implement my ideas.”