Our Pledge
To the PUKDS Community
To deliver a fully inclusive programme of sports recovery by ensuring that every individual is treated with respect and receives the support they require based on their individual needs, while affording every individual the same opportunity and maintaining that no individual is disadvantaged.
To engage with industry partners, charities, police forces, their federations and disability associations on behalf of our members to promote disability sport and improve support for officers and staff who have been injured, living with disability, illness, mental health or nuerodiversity.
To uphold our pledge, we will focus on key strategic areas:
Fundraising
We will run annual national campaigns which will focus on raising funds to stage sporting events all over the UK.
Through a network of volunteers, we will visit local communities to raise awareness of Police Disability Sport in each of the regions. This will be to raise money to set up clubs, for purchasing equipment for teams and individual athletes.
We will continue to engage with the Home Office to raise funds for our Home Office teams and Team UK, so we can deliver National and International Championships.
By working with community and police charities, we will be able to apply for grants for sports equipment and for staging events.
Athlete Support and Financial Assistance
A range of grants and equipment loan schemes will be available for every Police UK Disability Sports member to access, which are designed to get individuals playing the sports in their local communities.
We will engage with all of our members and sign post those that require additional support, by working alongside the Police Treatment Centres and various mental health and well-being organisations.
Regional Police Disability Sports Teams
With there being a large number of police forces in the UK, with a vast range in numbers of serving and retired officers and staff we felt it would be appropriate to create regional sports teams combining multiple forces in force areas. This will ensure that all regions can attract more individuals for the creation of team sports.
This process will also allow multiple force budgets to be accessed for creating sports teams, where some smaller forces would not otherwise be able to fund their own teams.
By creating regional police disability sports teams, forces will be able to come together to deliver sports programmes for their officers and staff through collaboration, which also shares the financial burden.
National Teams and Events
We will continue to stage exhibition matches and tournaments throughout the UK in various sports, where we will take on national league teams to help raise the awareness of police disability sport in the community.
The regional police teams will compete in their own national league against the other regions. We will hold an annual multi-sports event where all regions will compete in their sports. It is at these games that selection will take place for individuals aspiring to play for the Police Disability Sports Home Nations Teams.
And, for those individuals who wish to play at the highest level of competition, an annual selection process will take place to select the Police UK Disability Sport National Team (Team UK). This team will compete in national and international sporting events against other nations' police forces with the creation of an International Police Disability Sport Championships.
Policy and Legislation
Police UK Disability Sport is dedicated to delivering change in the police community, by working with police forces, their federations and disability associations as well as police charities to improve the culture and attitudes towards disability and mental health.
We will engage with local MPs and government on improving standards in policing relating to disability and mental health support and to ensure there is uniformity throughout all of the forces in the UK.
To work towards all forces adopting the same joining criteria for it's officers and staff relating to disability, mental health and nuerodiversity.
We are supporting a campaign for the creation of a new medal, to be awarded to officers who have been injured on duty which has resulted in them being medically retired from the police. This campaign highlights the need for improvements in all police forces where their officers have been injured on duty.
For more information and to find out how you can lobby your local MP, visit:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1091080585216247
Well-being and Recovery
We will be aiming to build a Central Hub for police disability sport, rehabilitation, mental health and well-being. Working in collaboration with existing charities and treatment centres to deliver a combined recovery programme which supports all officers and staff by affording them the same opportunities based on their individual needs, no matter where in the country or for which police force they work.
The introduction of Special Leave for officers and staff with disabilities, mental health and nuerodiversity to take part in police disability sports events. This will aid in the recovery from injury and provide an improved well-being service which could reduce sick days and early retirement through stress and burnout. This proposal could decrease long periods of duty restrictions through injury, illness and mental health recovery.
Police Covenant
We would also like to see the Police Covenant follow in the footsteps of the Armed Forces Covenant, where organisations can sign up to the covenant and pledge to provide equal opportunities to police officers and staff and do not discriminate against them because of current or previous employment.
You can find more information about the Police Covenant by copying this link into your browser:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/police-covenant
PUKDS is a self-funded not-for-profit registered community interest company, as such we rely on the kind donations of the public and funds raised through sales of merchandise and sponsorship opportunities. Every donation is greatly appreciated.