THAMES Valley Police (TVP) has become the UK’s first Menopause Friendly Police Force, independently accredited by Menopause Friendly.

The workforce is currently made up of 47.0 per cent women, including staff and police officers, and in the past twelve months alone women have accounted for almost 50 per cent of new officer recruits.

With a growing female workforce and a heightened national conversation around menopause, TVP said it “recognised a need to improve our support where this important issue was concerned and that we needed to do so dynamically”. 

READ MORE: Woman credits her dog for 'sniffing out' her breast cancer

As a result, TVP’s internal Menopause Action Group (MAG) was launched on World Menopause Day in 2021, with the aim of raising awareness, improving support, and providing staff training.

Witney Gazette: Chief Constable John Campbell QPM and Detective Inspector Natalie Beresford receiving TVP’ Menopause Employer Friendly accreditation certificate. Picture by TVP.Chief Constable John Campbell QPM and Detective Inspector Natalie Beresford receiving TVP’ Menopause Employer Friendly accreditation certificate. Picture by TVP.

Currently, TVP has 18 MAG members actively driving forward policies, with Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) and South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU) being highly involved and supporting these improvements since the launch of the group.

Chief Constable John Campbell QPM said: "In Thames Valley Police, as an organisation striving to be a workplace where everyone can flourish, we are committed to raising awareness, increasing support and investing in training for the workforce about the impact of the menopause.

“We are extremely proud of becoming the first UK police force to be granted this accreditation. It is testament to the hard work and focus that has gone into enhancing our practices and procedures.”

READ MORE: HUGE outdoor cinema coming to Oxfordshire

 In addition to the accreditation, Thames Valley Police has also been named as a finalist in two categories of the industry-recognised Menopause Friendly Employer Awards - powered by HSBC UK, first direct and M&S Bank.

Thames Valley Police has been shortlisted in the following two categories:

  • Most Open Workplace – for the organisation that has created a series of initiatives to allow for open conversations around menopause, including support from senior leadership through awareness and education. Other finalists alongside TVP include WW and Santander UK.
  • Best Engagement Campaign – for the organisation that has created a campaign that has ignited changing perceptions of menopause in the workplace through creativity, making it a normal conversation. Other finalists alongside TVP include Boots UK and QVC UK.

Witney Gazette: Sparking conversations - DI Natalie Beresford attending an Open Day at West Berkshire Local Policing Area, where first visitors to the stand were men. Picture by TVP.Sparking conversations - DI Natalie Beresford attending an Open Day at West Berkshire Local Policing Area, where first visitors to the stand were men. Picture by TVP.

Deborah Garlick, CEO of Henpicked: Menopause in The Workplace, said: “The standard of work and level of activity demonstrated by entrants to the first-ever Menopause Friendly Employer Awards has been really high.

READ MORE: Parking could be BANNED on roads outside homes

“I’m delighted to see recognition for the hard work being done at Thames Valley Police to open conversations and raise awareness of menopause in the workplace.”

Detective Inspector Natalie Beresford, of MAG lead, added: “I am so proud of what we have achieved for our force.”

-

Read more from this author

This story was written by Gee Harland. She joined the team in 2022 as a senior multimedia reporter.

Gee covers Wallingford, Wantage and Didcot.

Get in touch with her by emailing: Gee.harland@newsquest.co.uk

Follow her on Twitter @Geeharland

A message from our Editor

Thank you for reading this story and supporting the Oxford Mail.

If you like what we do please consider getting a subscription for the Oxford Mail and in return we’ll give you unrestricted access with less adverts across our website from the latest news, investigations, features, and sport.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok for more. 

You can also join the conversation in our Facebook groups: stay ahead of traffic alerts here, keep up to date with the latest from court here, share your favourite memories of Oxford here, get your daily dose of celebrity news here and take some time out with news that will make you smile. 

If you’ve got a story for our reporters, send us your news here. You can also list an event for free here.