Launch of National Support Initiative for Assaults on Police

Creative Agency, Loaf and Crimewatch Presenter, Rav Wilding Launch Vital National Support Initiative for Assaults on Police

Cheshire’s creative agency – Loaf – have partnered with the National Police Wellbeing Service – Oscar Kilo – to launch a national campaign promoting the initiative ‘Operation Hampshire’, which aims to improve the response and support for victims of assault within the police service.

The campaign ‘Together against assaults’, calls for all police forces across England and Wales to be part of the initiative and intends to shine a light on the complexities around the subject.

In-depth research and workshops were undertaken to form a full understanding of the situation and inform the strategy. Part of which was to create a lead video, led by the voice of ex-police officer and Crimewatch presenter Rav Wilding, and filmed in a parkour facility in Rotherham.

Dave Mullen, Co-founder and Creative Director at Loaf, said: “Assaults on police officers and staff are a serious matter, with potentially devastating consequences. Our role was not only to communicate the visible and hidden effects of assault, but to also move towards changing the culture that sometimes stops people reporting them in the first place. We had to produce something different, challenging, emotive and empathetic in order to connect, start conversations and initiate a change in behaviour.”

Loaf also delivered internal communications, social and digital assets and toolkits for forces across the country to utilise: https://loaf.agency/work/together-against-assaults

Dave Brewster, National Operation Hampshire Co-ordinator, commented: “The subject of police assaults is emotive, and it was essential that our message resonated with colleagues. We needed to ensure that our colleagues recognised that Op Hampshire was developed for them, recognising the unique role they play in society. The team at Loaf clearly understood the essence of Op Hampshire and the culture in which we operate in. We were fully engaged in the creative process and our views were obviously respected and appropriately and creatively challenged to deliver the most effective outcome. The film finds a perfect balance, clearly articulating the point, whilst approaching the issue from a subtle but impactful angle.”

Oscar Kilo – The National Police Wellbeing Service, who worked alongside Loaf to deliver the initiative – launched in 2019 to provide support and guidance for police forces across England and Wales in order to improve and build organisational wellbeing.

Communication and Engagement Manager for Oscar Kilo, Jenna Flanagan said: “Loaf have been fantastic to work with – from the very start of the concept creation, right through the execution and delivery of the campaign. They quickly picked up on the brief and understood the unique challenges we were trying to address. The team provided some real creativity to our thinking and we’ve ended up with a really impactful campaign that we believe will have real longevity.”