The head of a police staff association has urged the Prime Minister to understand the daily pressures faced by serving officers, as she highlighted growing concerns about workforce retention throughout UK forces.
Aileen O’Connor, who chairs the Thames Valley Police Federation, called on the government to demonstrate stronger commitment to law enforcement through improved resources and treatment of officers.
Her comments follow the announcement that the killers of PC Andrew Harper will no longer qualify for early release under recently proposed changes.
Despite this development, Ms O’Connor indicated that a petition she established opposing the early liberation of those responsible for the officer’s death would still be submitted to Downing Street on Wednesday.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, she stated that the current administration needed to provide enhanced funding and better assistance to the police service.
She emphasised the importance of fair treatment and called for immediate action on challenges confronting officers in their professional duties.
Ms O’Connor expressed her desire for the Prime Minister to comprehend the realities of modern policing, noting the prevalence of assaults on officers throughout the country.
She pointed out that an officer is attacked somewhere in the UK approximately every ten minutes, with some incidents resulting in serious injury or fatalities.
Official Home Office figures for the twelve-month period ending in April 2025 documented over 39,000 reports of officer assaults, encompassing nearly 16,200 cases where officers sustained injuries during the use of force incidents.
She acknowledged that personnel continue leaving forces nationwide and stressed that addressing this trend must become a priority for ministers.
The early release framework represents merely one aspect requiring attention, alongside the fundamental need for adequate financial support for policing.
The proposed policy aimed to alleviate pressure on the nation’s overcrowded male prison system but provoked significant opposition following revelations that Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole could potentially benefit from early release mechanisms from next year.
Both individuals received 13-year sentences after being found guilty of PC Harper’s manslaughter in 2020.
PC Harper, who resided in Wallingford and operated from Abingdon, died in August 2019 while performing official duties when he was dragged along a rural road by a vehicle operated by three teenagers attempting to flee.
The Prime Minister announced on Sunday that individuals convicted of unlawful killing, encompassing manslaughter and death by dangerous driving, would now be excluded from early release considerations.
Ms O’Connor’s campaign opposing the release of PC Harper’s attackers had accumulated more than one million signatures by Wednesday morning.
Representatives from Thames Valley Police Federation were scheduled to present the petition document to Downing Street on Wednesday, a gesture that Ms O’Connor stated demonstrated nationwide public support for the police service.