Message from New Chair of Wiltshire Police Federation

2 June 2025

Today is my first day in the chair, as Chair of your Police Federation in Wiltshire.

You may have seen a few emails already. One from the Chief, and one from Phil Matthews-Dawson. I am obliged to Phil for his service as chair to us all over the last years. He has been supportive to me during this process, and I know he will remain an active rep and a vocal supporter of us all.

For me, I am delighted to be elected, delighted to have the support of the members of the Federation and I want to respond to that support with positive action. The level of personal support and confidence I have received over the last few weeks means so much to me.

I am asking you to speak to me. You can write, call, or come and see me. I will be about at Police Stations so we can talk there as well. I want to know what the issues are from your perspective. I get the Pay and Morale Survey, I am aware of what National as well as Wiltshire issues are from those who have spoken already, but I want to hear from you as individuals. I don’t underestimate the pressure you are under, and I never cease to marvel at what you manage to achieve.

This is where the ‘I’ stops and the ‘we’ starts.

Your Federation is made up of reps across the force area. I see how hard they work. Each one is committed to a spectacular level. We are there to support our members. We wouldn’t exist as reps without you all. We need engagement with you to understand the issues and to address them. We want to engage with you and be more rather than be there in the background.

I want to say thank you for putting your trust in me. I look forward to working for you and with you. I will be your voice. We will be your voice. And I genuinely believe we can make our voices heard.

Joe

Joe Saunders

Branch Chair

Wiltshire Police Federation