Special Branch Special Duty Section DISCUSSION PAPER - WELFARE 1 INTRODUCTION The well-being of personnel is crucial to the success of SDS operations, not only in terms of their execution, but also in ensuring the security of those operations. The degree of commitment demanded of each undercover officer during the course of his/her tour of duty is very considerable, impacting particularly on the individual's life-style and domestic life. This paper will outline the various management systems within SDS which have been set in place to ensure that the welfare interests of each officer are fully protected. The period prior to joining and whilst on SDS duties can effectively be split into four distinct stages: a Selection - Training 0 Deployment Re-integration There is clear recognition that welfare considerations play an important part at each of these stages. 2 SDS THE GENERAL PICTURE Before moving onto the welfare procedures currently in place, it may be useful to describe the background to the unit; to offer a perspective on the scale of the 'problem' today; and finally to touch on the manner in which changes within the police generally, and Special Branch more specifically, have impacted on the hopes and fears of field officers. 2.1 BACKGROUND In the thirty two years since its formation,_Special Branch officers have been involved in SDS field operations. The figure is imprecise because, prior to the formal founding of the Unit in November 1968, a variable pool of between officers was 1.-. v. A .. .M. - . 7;:1 w: . 1: r. i W operations in the public order field between that year. Recorded details of personnel changes are now pretty much non-existent and evidence of very early membership of the_ is to some extent anecdotal. Within those constraints, however, analysis of the careers of those - officers has been prepared and laid out in Tables 1 and 2 (officers referred to in this paper are referred to by number only). 2.2 WELFARE PROBLEMS TO DATE The recent ill-health problems affecting- former SDS field officers? may have served to fuel an argument that there has been something about the overall successes of the SDS operation. Without going into those cases in detail, it may be useful to set the record straight about the supposed ?high attrition rate? from the Unit. The instances in which SDS field service can (or are claimed to) be directly or implicitly attributed to early departure from the Police Service are as follows:2.3 CHANGE WITHIN SDS learnt to adapt to the id officers whilst engaged on Over its 32 year existence, SDS has constantly changing demands on field operations. Throughout that period officers leaving the field haVe cascaded their knowledge down to their successors and a continuous process of fieldcraft development has taken I2.4 CHANGE OUTSIDE SDS TENURE AND PROMOTION 3 SELECTION 3.1 INITIAL SELECTION Selecting the right person for SDS field duties is clearly an area of crucial importance for management. An unsuitable candidate is likely to experience considerable difficulties in pursuing SDS 0 erations Which could be manifested in a number of we 5 3.2 INFORMAL MEETING 3.3 TESTING Following this meeting, the officer is asked to further consider his options and speak to former SDS officers. Once it has been decided that the officer is potentially suitable, he/she is asked to undergo testing [through the services of Dr The results of these tests are then discussed with the officer and, if they do not reveal shortcomings which would preclude a posting to SDS, he/she is invited to attend a structured interview, normally consisting of the (SDS Office) DCI, DI and DS. 3.4 STRUCTURED INTERVIEW 35 HOME VISIT 3.6 FINAL SELECTION 4 SDS OFFICE FUNCTIONS It may be useful at this stage to outline the core responsibilities of the SDS office staff. The DCI and DI maintain an overview of all 6aspects of operational policy, welfare and support. TRAINING AND PREPARATION 7 MENTOR ARRANGEMENTS 8 DEPLOYMENT it is important from a welfare point 0 View officers are fully aware of what is expected of them and participate in the longer term planning of their operation. With the consent of the officer, a home visit takes place at least once a year to discuss any concerns at home and to have an informal meeting with partners. RE-INTEGRATION 10 TANGIBLE RECOGNITION TOUR LEAVE 11.1 CONTACT WITH THE OFFICER During this time, and, without intruding too much on the family?s readjustment to normality, the SDS Management Teammaintains regular contact with the officer to ensure that there are no particular concerns or anxieties. During the course of this break, and before his/her return to work, the offiCer will have an interview with the DCI in charge of SDS. This will cover a wide variety of subjects but will always includethe issue of welfare. Aware that the return to work can be a difficult time for the officer, the DCI will explain that we have ready access ?to help which has been used by previous field officers. Prior to returning to work, the officer will be contacted by the SDS office to ensure that there are no last minute problems and that they know the where, when and how of their first day back to ?normality'. Their future line manager is also contacted to make sure that his/her attendance is expected. Once he/she has returned to work, contact is maintained on a regular basis both with the officer and his/her line manager. 11 11.2 POTENTIAL NEGATIVE EFFECTS Bearing in mind that relationships are a key factor in an individual?s ability to deal with stress, we also recognise that this extended period of leave immediately following field operations may, in certain circumstances, not be wholly beneficial. While considerable emphasis is placed on the stability of his/her relationship at home at the start of (and during) an officer?s tour of duty, there is no doubt that domestic arrangements undergo a sea?change over that eriod. The transition, may have a profound effect on the running of the household and, at worst, the relationship. All officers are different, of course, and some will use the ieave period to positive effect for example, an extended holiday or a major DIY project at home. Productive use of this time will enable the officer to re-focus his life; redefine. his relationship with the family; and prepare him/her, refreshed, for a return to ?normal? policing. Others, however, may be less purposeful in this period and it is here that the potential for boredom, family friction or disillusionment may set in. Hopes for the future will be high on completion of the tour of Operation and the officer may weli feei that the stress and strain of_will disappear at a stroke and all will be well in the garden. If this rose-tinted optimism coincides with a marriage or partnership which is less than robust, than even a long pianned holiday can place intolerable strain on the relationship. 12.1 STRESS AND 505 Current thinking seems to be that stress is a wholly negative factor which needs to be countered by some form of pre-emptive counselling or therapy. In the context of what might be termed dangerous or risky occupations, stress, as a naturally occurring phenomenon, can have a positive effect on an individual?s performance - for example, a soldier in battle; a police officer in the front line of a riot; or a racing driver. It is also clear that there is a direct correlation between the various areas of stress and the ability of the individual to deal with those stressors. Many factors of course will impact on the individual?s ability to cope with stress and 12 research indicates that relevant factors in play would include personality characteristics, genetic predisposition, socrai skills and previous learning (CI Howarth: ?Environmental Stress? 1978). The importance of the SDS selection procedure (as outlined above) is clearly therefore a vital tool in ensuring that candidates have the necessary weapons in their armoury to cope with the stress of field existence, 13 MONITORING Existing arrangements for SDS officers to resort to advice are informal and geared very much towards responding to an 13 identified problem. To date, this system has been a relatively effective one, although the increasing pressures of litigation and the ?biame someone else? culture demand that formalised procedures be set in place. On 12th September 2000, a draft copy of this Paper was the Subject of a meeting, chaired by Commande and involving SDS, Doctor and -MP5 Occupationa ea Department. At the conclusion of this useful discussion, the latter undertook to produce a draft paper on possible improvements to the welfare strategy outlined above, with particular reference to a programme of monitoring. To date, and despite reminders, Occupationai Health have failed to produce any proposals or suggestions. It is therefore incumbent on this office to take the initiative and to that end a formal approach has been made to and has many years exp erience of dealin with stress and related problems in the -A number of SDS officers have had sessions with-and ali found the experience a rewarding and beneficial one. A formal letter asking for- assistance has now been sent by Commander to In our initial discussions with- we 39??ad that the following framework would best fulfil our requirements: -will have early sight of this paper and comment on its methodology from-perspective; [21-will address the current field officers as a group by way of introducing -will then have one?to?one sessions as follows: As part of the latter stage of the selection process. This will run alongside, as weli as complement, the testing currently undertaken b- Once every six months for the duration of the field operation; 14An inadepth de?brief at the end of the operation; A post operational session six months after the de- brief (and once the officer has returned to ?normal? duties); At any other time if either the field officer, the SDS management team or- feels there is a need. In implementing this process we recognise that there is a distinction between addressing the requirements of the Service in minimising the potential for litigation while at the same time looking to respond to the welfare needs of the individual. We will seek to ensure that officers do not regard the regular sessions as a 'tick in the box' exercise, but that they know that effective counselling is always available to them on the basis of identifiable need. Detective Inspector 15