Frequently Asked Questions

The question we get asked most frequently is;

Q - "Do you have to be a wheelchair user to play wheelchair sports?"

A - The answer is simple, No.

You don't need to be a wheelchair user to be eligible for wheelchair sports. Each sport has it's own classification and part of that is assessing each individuals capabilities  to perform the required actions for that sport.

PUKDS is fully inclusive, meaning that we are including athletes that have no physical impairment who may live with mental health conditions or be neurodiverse.

It simply means that those with no physical impairments hold a higher classification for individual sports where they will be competing against other higher classified athletes and will have a higher points classification for team sports.

Q - "How long do I need to have worked in the police to qualify?"

A - There is no minimum to be eligible.

The only criteria is that if you were a police officer, that you completed your basic training and started work as an officer on your area.

If however you  were prevented from completing your training through injury or illness, you will also be eligible as you would have otherwise continued with your career having not been for the injury or illness.

For those that have chosen to leave the police of their own free will whilst in training or have not been successful in completing their basic training for any other reason aside from injury or illness. You will not be eligible.

Q - "Will getting involved in disability sport have an impact on my Ill-Health Retirement (IHR) entitlement?"

A - We cannot provide any specific advice on this, other than;

You must check with your federation representative to make sure that any activity you take part in will not affect your entitlement.

Our opinion, is that no individual should be discriminated against for wanting to stay fit and healthy through sports and exercise activities. Of course there are limitations to this, but taking part in sports which have been adapted for injuries and disabilities should not affect any entitlement.

We are working alongside Police Care UK to ensure that no individual is discriminated against. They have produced the IHR Commitment document which can be found under our 'Support Pages'. There, you will also find a link to Police Care UK where you can find more information and contact them directly so that they can provide further support and clarification on this.

https://www.policecare.org.uk/help/ill-health-retirement-commitment/

Part of our work with Police Care UK will be working to deliver our pledge and to help other organisations deliver theirs in relation to the Police Covenant.

Q - "Will playing adaptive sport affect my disability benefits?"

A - We suggest that you first contact DWP in relation to the types of activities you want to engage in.

Our opinion is that participating in adaptive sport where all individuals are classified in to categories based on their capabilities should not affect their disability benefits.

The reason adaptive sports were created was so that individuals with long term illness and disability could get involved in sport. So it seems counter productive to take away a persons disability benefit for taking part in disability sport.

For more information, copy this link in to your browser;

https://www.gov.uk/browse/benefits/disability

Q - "Can I play for the PUKDS team as well as my local team?"

A - Yes, in fact we encourage all of our members to play for their local community clubs.

Playing for your local teams will provide you with the regular training which will help improve your skills for competing. As the PUKDS teams are established in the regions where we will start to introduce regular training sessions, we are keen that all our members stay engaged with the sports as often as time allows.

Q - "I can't afford any expensive equipment, where can i get help with funding these sports?"

A - There are many options available.

PUKDS understands that many of the sports require very expensive equipment such as adapted wheelchairs, so we provide funding for sports equipment through a number of grants and equipment loan schemes, to find more information, please visit our support pages.

We are also working with a number of organisations and charities who are able to provide financial support, not just for expensive sports equipment but with help in getting to training and matches for those that are on low incomes or benefits.

Our aim is to help everyone that needs it, so we consider all grant applications on their own merit.

Q - "What if i don't want to be identified as being a police officer because of my role?"

A - Your details will not be public facing.

We ask all of our members to complete an application form, this includes a section where you can select what you do and don't consent to. This will include having your name and photo released on the website and social media which shows you are a member of a particular sports team or take part in an event.

It will also include consent around being included in sports WhatsApp groups.

The only occasions where we may not be able to have full control of content being visible is at sporting events where there will be national or local media outlets filming or taking photos. We also cannot control what other people attending each event post online from the events where you are also in attendance.

Measures will be taken to ensure that media outlets are provided with the details of individuals that they are not to engage with, film, photograph or cover in footage or stories where it can be avoided.

You will also have the option to opt in or out of these at any time.

Q - "Do I need to be playing any of these sports already to be selected for the police teams?"

A - No

These sports are for anyone to get involved in. We actively encourage you to try sports that you've never played before, especially team sports as we have found that team sports can provide extra recovery for mental health conditions.

Each sports and the teams within are coached by professionally qualified coaches that have years of experience in adaptive sports, some of which have coached teams at GB level. So they are very experienced in training individuals with any level of ability.

Q - "Are you also including those that have had their contracts terminated by their force after misconduct hearings?"

A - No and we are liaising with police forces to make sure of this.

All prospective members details are checked with the relevant police forces through the Freedom of Information Act to ensure that we only support those that have conducted themselves in a way that does not bring the police in to disrepute.

We work closely with all police forces, federations and associations, charities and the public to deliver our sports and as such we rely on these organisations and the public for support and funding. So we must ensure that this support and funding does not go to providing support for any individual who damages the public confidence in policing.

Like all charities and organisations that provide financial support, we rely on the honesty and integrity of those individuals requesting help. There will be individuals that try to be dishonest, but we will always make sure that we have done the necessary checks.

However, if you are aware of any person that is a member and may not have been honest with us, please inform us straight away and we will make enquiries with the relevant police force.