Avon and Somerset Police Federation

06/04/2026

- Dan Lewis, Graeme Smith, Josh Neal Bate, Kieran Hodson and Rhys Webb have been recognised with the Waley Cohen Award for their exceptional bravery during a rapidly unfolding and high risk incident. Congratulations.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DWYpVhQjD7M/?hl=en

01/04/2026

Avon & Somerset Police Federation has hit out

27/03/2026

All at Avon and Somerset Police Federation were devastated over the off duty death of our colleague PC Logan Gartshore.

Our thoughts remain with his family, friends and close colleagues and we continue to support them as best as we can.

Logan - who had been a police officer for four years - will be remembered on the Yeovil and South Somerset teams as a popular colleague and he will be much missed.

His family told SomersetLive: "Logan always made time for others, helping them in anyway he could, but couldn’t sadly ever help himself.

"Logan was a very caring, kind, genuine person who was liked by so many people, with a wide circle of friends."

Logan’s family and friends will be continuing to raise money in his name. This includes the efforts by Chandler Hallet for Andy’s Man Club, a men’s mental health charity.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-memory-of-pc-logan-gartshore-1242

Officers and police staff members who are struggling should know that they are not alone, and that there are people there to help.

This includes, for immediacy: Samaritans: call 116 123 and Oscar Kilo’s Mental Health Crisis Lines: call 0300 131 2789.

27/03/2026

Upcoming Mortgage surgery for colleagues

25/03/2026

from Police Insure

24/03/2026

Chiefs’ rest day proposals are a serious mistake that risk officer welfare and public safety, according to the Police Federation of England and Wales.

The PFEW has issued a stark warning to the Government not to accept proposals from police chiefs that would make it cheaper and easier for forces to intrude on the vital rest days officers need to keep communities safe.

Police officers are currently entitled to a minimum four hours’ compensation at time and a half when they are required to work on a cancelled rest day or bank holiday, recognising the disruption to protected rest and family commitments.

In its submission to the Government-controlled Police Remuneration Review Body, police chiefs have proposed to remove that safeguard with officers paid at time and one-third, calculated in 15-minute increments, for the exact time worked. The submission also seeks to tighten the rules around how cancelled rest days are re-rostered.

In response, the Federation is launching ‘Hands Off Our Rest Days’ as part of its wider Copped Enough campaign for better pay, working conditions and support for police officers.

Tom Gent, Chair of Avon and Somerset Police Federation, said: "We are incredibly disappointed to see Chief Constables, including our own, push to make it cheaper to cancel officers’ days off and make it easier to retain them on duty off their night shifts.

“In Avon and Somerset, officers are regularly being required to come in and give up their precious family time to police protests and support day-to-day policing due to short staffing, so the impact of this will be acutely felt.

“I have made it clear to our Chief that I believe making it cheaper and easier to cancel officers’ days off will be a false economy – only increasing fatigue, sickness and continuing to make policing a less desirable career, resulting in officers leaving the profession.

“I would urge her and the NPCC to reconsider their submissions and to focus their arguments on measures that genuinely back the frontline.”

Police Federation National Chair Tiff Lynch said: "At a time when policing is getting more dangerous and when thousands are choosing to leave, chief constables are proposing not to strengthen protections for their men and women but to weaken them.”

National Secretary John Partington said: “It is difficult to see how any Chief Constable who truly supports their officers could believe making it cheaper to cancel rest days is the right approach. They should scrap these plans now.”

“Policing continues to function largely because officers repeatedly step up, cancelling rest days, missing family time and working through fatigue. Making it easier and cheaper to intrude on that rest time is not a solution. It is a gamble with officer welfare and public safety."

22/03/2026

Devastating news as Kent Police announce the on duty death of PC Bradley Corke.

Thoughts of all at Avon and Somerset Police Federation are with Bradley's family, friends and close colleagues.

All at Kent Police Federation are devastated at the news of the on duty death of our colleague PC Bradley Corke.

Bradley, 27, died on Saturday following injuries sustained in a road traffic collision as he travelled to an emergency call in Swanley late on Thursday evening.

Our thoughts - and those of colleagues across the county and country - are with Bradley's family, friends and close colleagues.

Neil Mennie, Chair of Kent Police Federation, said: "We are all absolutely heartbroken to learn of this news.

"Bradley was a popular colleague who will be much missed and we will be doing all we can to support his family and close colleagues at this time.

"Policing is a family and words cannot describe the pain we are all feeling and how this news will affect us in the days, weeks and months ahead.

"This sad incident serves as a horrific example of the risks police officers face and how police officers can sadly make the ultimate sacrifice as they strive to keep the public safe."

Bradley served with Kent Police since May 2022. He was based in Tonbridge and spent his police service in the towns of West Kent.

Our thoughts also remain with Bradley's colleague who was critically injured in the incident.

If any officers are in need of support, please contact a line manager, Kent Police Federation or a Federation Representative.

19/03/2026

Alarming Police Officer assault numbers revealed. 134 police officers assaulted every day in the UK.

There were 14,768 convictions for assault against an emergency services worker in the year to June 2025, a 12% increase in two years.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgjwygelevpo

16/03/2026

Our latest podcast focusing on police conduct and the stress of lengthy investigations is available for colleagues to watch/listen to now on YouTube and Spotify.

In this clip, host Royston Martis and Chair Tom Gent discuss.

Watch in full here https://youtu.be/Iu8no2XiBTQ

Or listen on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/371yI33iZ1TboWamT3y7r9?si=cDevXCyyTNi-16MeyWr8nA&nd=1&dlsi=bcd8968f4b0d459c

12/03/2026

More officers will leave the job and others will be stretched to breaking point if there isn’t a fair police pay deal this year, the Chair of Avon and Somerset Police Federation has said.

Tom Gent said that he was backing the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW)’s call for a minimum 7% annual pay rise for each of the next three years.

In its report to the Police Remuneration Review Body for 2026, PFEW said the multi-year pay settlement was essential to improve retention, morale and operational capability. It also called for a raft of improvements to officer conditions, including increased allowances and annual leave.

By contrast, the National Police Chiefs’ Council is supporting a 3.5% pay rise if it is fully funded by the Government, or a below-inflation 2.5% if it is not.

Tom said: “Our officers are doing everything asked of them and more, but year after year they’re being asked to do it for less in real terms. In Avon and Somerset, we’re already seeing the impact: experienced colleagues walking away, newer officers under immense strain, and public safety being stretched to breaking point. Another real‑terms pay cut will only accelerate this decline.

"We are seeing experienced officers walk away from policing. Nationally, nearly half of our constables have five years’ service or less. Our officers simply can't afford to stay in policing, and it's our communities that suffer."

The PFEW is also calling for:

- Full recognition of the ‘P Factor’ in police pay, to properly reflect the risks, restrictions and obligations unique to policing.

- Fewer pay points for PCs to simplify progression and improve competitiveness, including removing the lowest pay points to reflect frontline expectations from day one.

- Increase the unsocial hours allowance from 10% to 20%, for work between 8pm and 6am on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

- Acting up and temporary promotion payments should be paid from day one and made pensionable.

- The maximum London and South East allowance should be paid as standard.

- Increased annual leave, with any unused leave to be paid.

- A new long-service leave and recuperation leave.

- Workload payments to Inspectors and Chief Inspectors should be extended, with additional pay for hours worked beyond 48 per week, pending a full review of the 1994 PNB Agreement.

11/03/2026

Remembering PC Kevin Stoodley, of Avon and Somerset Police, who died on duty on this day in 2015