Public spirited police officers praised for voluntary work during pandemic

‘Fantastic’ members praised by Chair for their selfless activities in addition to duties

A new survey has found almost nine out of ten police officers have done additional voluntary work or fundraised during the pandemic on top of their duties.

Research carried out for Public Service Day by Boundless – a membership club for civil service and public sector workers – revealed 88 per cent of those polled either volunteered or raised money during the COVID crisis.

Officers who responded were also found to have raised an impressive £13,817 per person for charity during the course of their career.

The survey findings for Public Service Day on Wednesday 23 June were described as ‘fantastic’ by John Apter, Chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW).

Mr Apter said: “This is fantastic to see but doesn’t come as a surprise to me. Police officers and staff are by their very nature decent caring people, and I personally know many who support great initiatives in their spare time.

“Police officers are humble people who do not really want to have the spotlight shone on them.

“However, I think it is really important we celebrate our colleagues and the difference they make to society both on and off duty.”

Richie Pankhurst, a police community support officer with Kent Police, helped translate COVID advice for residents from a multi-cultural neighbourhood in Thanet, Kent.

Richie said: “Last April, I realised people were watching the news in their own language on the internet, so were missing the UK’s vital ‘Stay At Home’ message. The health advice simply wasn’t being heard.”

With the help of local linguists, Richie found a solution and produced COVID guidance leaflets in 16 languages, including Somali, Slovak, Farsi and Russian.

Boundless director Darren Milton also paid tribute, adding: “If we didn’t know already just how special the people who work in the police service are, these survey results really underline it.”

The research was conducted for Boundless by Opinion Matters, and involved 2,048 employed respondents.

Other survey findings detailed the main voluntary activities supported by police officers and service employees during the pandemic. These included: 

• Donating items – 29 per cent
• Organising fundraising events – 25 per cent
• Delivering meals or items to underprivileged/vulnerable people – 22 per cent
• Organising virtual quiz nights – 16 per cent
• Online counselling -12 per cent
• Producing and sharing information about COVID – 10 per cent
• Taking part in sponsored walks or runs – 10 per cent
• Making or donating PPE – 10 per cent