OFFICERS ‘HONOURED’ TO ATTEND STEPHEN LAWRENCE DAY CONFERENCE

Four members of the force marked the 30th anniversary of the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence by attending a national conference in the teenager’s name.

Held in London, the all-day Stephen Lawrence Day Conference was organised by the National Black Police Association (NBPA) in collaboration with the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation, the College of Policing, the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the University of East London.

The educational conference offered the chance for attendees to remember Stephen and continue his legacy through policing.

The GMP officers who attended the event in person were Detective Chief Superintendent Danny Inglis, Superintendent Rachael Harrison, Chief Inspector Clara Williams and Police Constable Stephen Nalilungwe.

Other members of the force watched the conference virtually, as it was live streamed to police services across the UK.

PC Nalilungwe, Chair of our Black & Asian Police Association who is pictured at the event with Supt Harrison, said: “Attending the Stephen Lawrence Day Conference was a powerful reminder of the ongoing need for justice and equality in our society.

“The speakers and participants demonstrated an unwavering commitment to creating a world where everyone is treated with respect and dignity.

“It was an honour for myself and my GMP colleagues to be a part of such an important and inspiring event.”

The tenacity of Stephen’s family to ensure that his name was not tarnished and his killers brought to justice serves as a beacon of hope in the drive for all policing to become anti-racist.

An inquiry into Stephen’s murder that was led by Sir William Macpherson paved the way for fundamental changes to policing and wider society, but there have been concerns that Stephen’s memory and the lessons learnt since his death are being lost on new generations of police officers and staff.

The conference aimed to help address those concerns.

Stephen’s parents, Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon and the Rt Hon Stuart Lawrence, both spoke at the event.

During April we saw the wellbeing focus shift to stress and resilience.

Stress is necessary in everyday life to keep us motivated, focused and productive, but when we are not managing that stress by practising self-care we are at risk of burning out, both mentally and physically.

Members of the force attended a motivational workshop delivered by Paul Oldham and James Edney of Mind Influence. The topics covered during the workshop included resilience, personal development, mindfulness, stress management and state of mind awareness.

Setting The Standard For Wellbeing In Gmp

Congratulations to Counter Terrorism Policing North West Inspector Lee McCrory, who received a national award for ‘outstanding commitment and professionalism in delivery and support of wellbeing services to colleagues’ at the recent national counter terrorism wellbeing conference.

This is such well-deserved recognition for someone who goes above and beyond the call of duty. Insp McCrory has been an advocate of wellbeing for many years.

As well as co-chairing the CTPNW monthly wellbeing meetings with Will Chatterton and representing the region at monthly force wellbeing meetings, he provides support to individuals on a regular basis as a resilience coach and peer supporter and the founder and lead of the Crohn’s and colitis support group.

In GMP we have a network of wellbeing volunteers with a vast range of personal experiences they have struggled with and overcome. If you would like to speak to one of our volunteers, in confidence, email wellbeingvolunteercoordinators@gmp.police.uk

Adhd Webinar

In April we welcomed a guest speaker from the Metropolitan Police Service, Carl Mumford, who leads the ADHD Alliance for the Met. This support network offering advice, resources and peer support is soon to be a national alliance and open to all members of the emergency services. More than 70 people attended the webinar, demonstrating the reach ADHD has across GMP employees.

Carl spoke about the impact ADHD has on his life and the workplace, the challenges and benefits that come with being neurodivergent and the support that is available.

The webinar was well received, and interest was shown in how we can support our neurodivergent colleagues.

A range of neurodiversity resources can be found on the wellbeing pages on the intranet, through the Wellbeing Calendar.

Coming Up In May

The theme for the Wellbeing Calendar for May is trauma. The focus will be on dealing with trauma in the workplace, the impact of trauma and what support is available.

There will be several events taking place across the month focusing on trauma, the details of which will be shared by your local wellbeing SPoC.

New Fibromyalgia Support Group

Our new fibromyalgia support group’s first meeting will be on Friday 12 May, which is World Fibromyalgia Awareness Day.

Please email kerry.smith@gmp.police.uk for more details.

Other Awareness Days In May

• Tuesday 2 May to Monday 8 May: Sun Awareness Week

• Tuesday 2 May to Monday 8 May: Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week

• Tuesday 2 May to Monday 8 May: Deaf Awareness Week

• Monday 15 May to Sunday 16 May: Mental Health Awareness Week

• Tuesday 16 May to Monday 22 May: Dementia Action Week

• Wednesday 24 May to Tuesday 30 May: National Epilepsy Week