POLICE have acquired a new 'welfare van' that is hoped to boost frontline officer morale during call-outs.
North Wales Police is the first force in Wales to provide the bespoke facility which offers a shelter, small kitchen and toilet for officers while they deal with incidents for long periods or in bad weather.
The black police-marked vehicle was purchased by the North Wales Police Federation (NWPF), which described it as a "big step forward" to addressing concerns that spirit is low among police staff.
The van has only been with the force for a fortnight but has already been used by officers carrying out an inspection in the Wrexham area last week.
Trystan Bevan, NWPF officer, said the van is a sign of more focus being put on the well-being of officers whilst on duty.
He said: "It is a great step forward from where we've been before. Yes, we have vans in the police - but not one with a toilet in it.
"It shows that we look more at looking after our officers and that their health and wellbeing are coming along.
"In an accident, where someone has been killed on the road, at 3am, there's nowhere to get something warm for our officers, there's no toilet available, there's no shelter to do paper work."
About 65 per cent of officers to an NWPF survey in December said the pandemic has a negative impact on them in their work.
Before the pandemic, officers in rural areas would sometimes have to knock on residents' doors to ask if they could use their toilet.
Sergeant Arwel Hughes, who works at Bangor station, said the van will enable officers to work better and faster.
"I remember the events where we were talking to people by the lane in wind and rain," he said.
"Now, if we can get that van there, it's somewhere to bring a witness in - somewhere warm to give a shelter to the witness, offer a cuppa and maybe a toilet - and somewhere to talk.
"If someone is cold and wet, someone doesn't think of his work as well as someone would be in circumstances like this here."
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