Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding she has allocated to provide police officers with inner armour training.

The Government takes police wellbeing and morale very seriously and is doing everything it can to support policing including investing in programmes which offer help directly to officers. That is why we have invested £7.5m in a new National Police Wellbeing Service (NPWS). The Government also welcomes the work being led by forces to promote officer health and wellbeing. Each Chief Constable has a duty to manage and support their workforce effectively, ensuring the welfare of all officers and staff.

The NPWS was launched in April 2019 and has developed evidence-based guidance, advice, tools and resources which can be accessed by forces, as well as individual officers and staff. These include resources to help forces better support officers and staff who are experiencing mental health problems.

This Government is committed to ensuring that the police have the support and protection they need to keep themselves and the public safe. That is why the Government has outlined its commitment to bring forward a Police Protection Bill that will strengthen the legal protection for pursuit drivers and establish a Police Covenant. The Covenant will focus on physical protection for officers, their health and wellbeing and support for their families.

This Government has also recently announced £10m in Taser funding, this could mean over 10,000 more police officers in England and Wales will be able to carry the devices to help protect themselves and the public.