Cambridgeshire Constabulary
Ethics Playing Cards
Copyright © 2025 Compass Ethics
8
A specialist police staff team member is thinking about leaving because they do not feel valued and are treated as if their input is less important than uniformed colleagues. How do you support this colleague?
Case Studies
- You overhear a conversation about a member of the police staff that suggests that they don’t really understand because they are not uniformed. Is this fair?
Discussion
Feeling undervalued is one of the most common reasons for why people choose to leave their job. Rank, seniority, experience, and professional role are all important in determining what someone can contribute to any given situation. Police staff members may have more experience in many areas, and their input can often be better informed than those who only see the situation from their own viewpoint. In turn, the practical insights from those deployed on the ground can add useful context that should not be ignored just because the person might not have access to the wider context at that time.
Although there might be a lack of uniform or title that clearly indicates rank within the force hierarchy, it is not unusual for police staff to outrank a uniformed officer in many situations.
Creating or perpetuating a first and second-class environment can only be detrimental to an efficient working culture.
Although there might be a lack of uniform or title that clearly indicates rank within the force hierarchy, it is not unusual for police staff to outrank a uniformed officer in many situations.
Creating or perpetuating a first and second-class environment can only be detrimental to an efficient working culture.
- What practical steps can I take? Do you ensure that uniformed and non-uniformed staff both feel equally valued?
The BCH Inclusion Statement states that: “Everyone across BCH takes personal responsibility to help create an inclusive workplace, where police officers and staff respect one another, feel valued for their differences and can be themselves. We are committed to providing workplace adjustments, wherever needed, so everyone feels welcome and can flourish”