Hampshire police hope the new police covenant will make a difference to officers and their families.

Home Secretary, Priti Patel, announced last week that a police covenant will be enshrined in law to ensure that the welfare of officers, police staff, and their families is placed under regular parliamentary scrutiny.

This follows a campaign by the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) which found that 90% of respondents backed government plans for a new covenant.

Hampshire Police Federation Chair Zoë Wakefield said: “This is really good news.

“The Home Secretary is saying all the right things and, at the moment, she couldn’t be more supportive of our members.

“We are hoping these are not just words and we will have a Police Covenant which does make a difference to our officers and their families.”

The Covenant, which applies to serving and former police personnel, creates a statutory duty for forces to support police officers and will focus on protection, health and wellbeing, and support for families.

The Home Secretary will also have to report annually to Parliament.

PFEW Chairman John Apter said: “What I would expect the Police Covenant to focus on is police officers, police staff and their families, it’s really important that we don’t forget their families, about the training they receive, about the support they receive, around not only physical injuries but also mental health issues, because so often the invisible injuries have been forgotten.

“We will work tirelessly to make sure this is more than just a poster on the wall.”