Staffordshire Police receives Gold Award for support to armed forces community

We are proud that we have been recognised with a prestigious Gold Employer Recognition Award from the Ministry of Defence for our commitment to supporting our armed forces and veteran communities in Staffordshire.

The Gold award is the highest level presented to organisations and we’re one of only 17 police forces to achieve it. We were awarded silver last year and bronze in 2022.

In October last year, we introduced the Royal Military Police Placement Programme. We joined the placement programme following the success of a pilot scheme in North Yorkshire, where military and civilian police officers collaborated to keep the public safe and strengthen the relationship between the army and the force locally.

Royal Military Police have their own policing experience, training and knowledge and work alongside our response policing teams.

In February this year, Lance Corporal Bradley Turner and Corporal Anthony Smith worked with us across the south of the county. They are the second pair of RMP officers to join us and were on shift alongside our policing teams.

In June last year, we signed an agreement with Veterans Aid, who help ex-servicemen and women in crisis, to work together and police officers can make referrals.

In August 2022, we pledged our commitment to the armed forces by signing a national covenant – a promise to ensure those who serve or have served in the armed forces and their families, are treated fairly.

Chief Constable Chris Noble said: “I am delighted that we have been recognised for our commitment to supporting our armed forces and veteran communities in Staffordshire.

“Our work with the armed forces community will continue and we look forward to supporting them in any way we can.”

We currently employ around 50 veterans or members of military families.

We provide an additional 10 days’ paid leave for reservists and cadet force adult volunteers. We also have supportive HR policies in place and a staff association – the Armed Forces Network – to support officers and staff who are veterans, reservists, cadet volunteers, as well as partners of those serving in the Armed Forces.