Let me get straight to thew point – Policing requires to become more selfish.
It’s an idea that can feel counterintuitive at first: for policing to better serve the public, it may need to become more focused on itself. Not in a self-protective, closed-ranks sense, but in a deliberate, disciplined commitment to looking after its people. Because the reality is simple: a service delivered by exhausted, unsupported, and psychologically strained officers will never be as effective as one delivered by people who feel valued, safe, and able to perform at their best. In its current state communities, despite the presence of hardworking police staff and officers, will communities ever be safe?
So perhaps the question isn’t whether UK policing should become more “selfish,” but whether it is currently sustainable, and if it isn’t, what needs to change?
The Case for Looking Inward
Policing is one of the most demanding professions in society. Officers and staff routinely encounter trauma, conflict, ambiguity, and scrutiny. They are expected to make high-stakes decisions under pressure, often with incomplete information and in emotionally charged environments. The ongoing public enquiry into the murders in Nottingham in 2023 make that evidently clear. Yet, despite this, the culture has not always prioritised wellbeing in a meaningful, operational way. Support can be inconsistent. Admitting struggle can still feel risky, and the expectation, spoken or unspoken, is often to just “get on with it.”
This comes at a cost. Fatigue affects judgement. Stress narrows thinking. Burnout reduces empathy. Over time, these factors don’t just impact individuals, they shape the quality of service delivered to the public. Interactions become more transactional. Patience wears thin. Discretion becomes less balanced.
In contrast, when officers feel supported:
- Decision-making improves
- Communication becomes more measured
- Professionalism is easier to sustain under pressure
- Public interactions are more respectful and considered
Looking after staff, then, isn’t separate from service delivery, it is foundational to it. In my work with policing globally I ask what strengths does policing possess? Resilience is often shouted out. I push back suggesting a reliance on resilience is flawed which comes with a cost.
The Risk of Misinterpretation
Of course, there is a danger in how this idea is interpreted. If “looking after our own” becomes synonymous with avoiding accountability, ignoring poor behaviour, or protecting reputation at all costs, it quickly erodes public trust. That version of “selfishness” is not only damaging, but also unsustainable. The goal is not insulation from scrutiny. It is an ability to cope under it.
This requires a balance:
- Care for colleagues
- Commitment to standards
- Accountability to the public
Holding all three at once is not easy. But it is essential.
Where Culture Really Lives
Policies and procedures matter, but culture is shaped in the small, everyday moments: The comment that goes unchallenged, the colleague who looks overwhelmed but is ignored, the rushed decision that no one questions, the inappropriate humour that gets a pass. These moments rarely make headlines, but they define the working environment. Over time, they define the organisation. Officers are currently leaving, not a high workload, they are leaving an unsupportive and unsafe culture. They deserve better.
This is where active bystandership becomes critical.
Active Bystandership: A Practical Solution
Active bystandership is often associated with solely challenging wrongdoing, and that is part of it. But in its most effective form, it is much broader. It is about taking responsibility for the people and environment around you, in real time. It shifts culture from “It’s not my place” to “This is our responsibility”, and crucially, it operates peer-to-peer, not just top-down.
Supporting Staff Through Everyday Actions
Active bystandership allows officers and staff to look after each other in practical, immediate ways.
1. Early intervention under pressure
Policing often involves rapidly escalating situations. Active bystanders can slow things down: “Let’s take a second here,” “Have we got all the information?” These small interventions create space for better decisions and reduce the risk of mistakes driven by stress or urgency.
2. Recognising and responding to strain
Sometimes the most important intervention isn’t about behaviour, it’s about wellbeing:
“You don’t seem yourself today, want me to take this one?” “That job was heavy, how are you doing?” These moments signal that people are seen, not just as officers, but as humans.
3. Sharing the load
In high-demand environments, it’s easy for individuals to become overwhelmed. Active bystandership redistributes responsibility:
- Stepping in to help without being asked
- Offering practical support during busy periods
- Taking over when someone is reaching their limit
This reduces burnout and reinforces a sense of team. In my work with policing, I’m constantly told that policing has lost its sense of community. With high levels of stress, the counterbalance isn’t simply a wellbeing programme, its social connection. It’s in these moments that a stressed (dis-regulated) brain is calmed down. Policing requires to rebuild its community. Active bystandership helps here. You don’t need a leader to give you permission to be a good friend.
4. Challenging harmful norms
Every workplace develops informal rules. In policing, some of these can be unhelpful, cynicism, dark humour, or cutting corners. Active bystanders challenge these patterns:
Questioning language that undermines respect, interrupting behaviour that doesn’t align with values, reinforcing professionalism in subtle, constructive ways. Importantly, this doesn’t have to be confrontational. Often, it’s about tone, timing, and intent.
This isn’t about sucking the humour out of policing; more it’s about helping it remain appropriate.
5. Backing those who speak up
One of the biggest barriers to intervention is fear of standing out, of getting it wrong, of not being supported. Active bystandership works best when it becomes collective: supporting colleagues who challenge poor behaviour, reinforcing positive interventions, making it clear that speaking up is expected, not exceptional
This builds psychological safety which is one of the strongest predictors of effective teams.
From Individual Action to Organisational Culture
For active bystandership to truly support staff wellbeing and service delivery, it cannot be left to individuals alone. It must be embedded and reinforced. This means leadership needs to:
- Model the behaviour: visibly checking in, listening, and intervening
- Reward the right actions: recognising those who look out for others
- Remove stigma: normalising conversations about stress and struggle
- Provide clarity: making it clear that intervention is part of the role
When leaders consistently reinforce these messages, they reshape what “good policing” looks like.
Reframing Strength
There is a long-standing narrative in policing that resilience means pushing through, staying silent, and carrying on regardless. But that version of strength is limited, and ultimately harmful. A more effective definition might be:
- Speaking up when something feels off
- Supporting colleagues before they reach breaking point
- Being open about limits and asking for help
- Intervening to protect both people and standards
This is not weakness. It is professionalism in action.
The Bigger Picture
When policing looks after its people, several things begin to shift:
- Teams become more cohesive
- Decision-making becomes more consistent
- Misconduct is addressed earlier
- Public interactions improve
- Trust, internally and externally, strengthens
In this sense, focusing inward is not a distraction from the mission. It is how the mission is sustained.
To end, UK policing does not need to become selfish in a narrow sense. It does, however, need to become more intentional about protecting and supporting its people. Because ultimately, the quality of policing is shaped by the condition of those delivering it. Senior leadership and police federations across UK policing must begin to move from a focus on task to one of culture. I include police federations because much of the narrative to improve policing appears to mostly centre on a need for more officers. Whilst important, an unsafe culture will quickly consume any additional numbers.
Active bystandership provides a practical, everyday mechanism to make this real. It turns values into actions. It distributes responsibility across teams, and it ensures that looking after each other is not left to chance but becomes part of how policing is done. When that happens, the impact is felt far beyond the organisation itself. It is felt in every interaction, every decision, and every community served. Our officers and staff deserve this as do the communities they serve and protect.
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