Dave Widden

I have worked for the police service for over 15 years, joining the Metropolitan Police Service in 2003 and Kent Police in 2007.

I was 22 when I first joined the police service and I have been through many important life experiences since such as marriage, the birth of my two sons, deaths of close family members, family emergencies and child care arrangements and all that entails. All have the potential to be very stressful events and throughout most of them I have felt supported but there have been occasions where I believe it could have been better.

More recently, I have become aware of the rights of staff being challenged in an increasingly pressurised environment – sometimes managers and staff are not aware or do not understand what the rights are. This creates an unfortunate position where decisions are challenged and working environments become unnecessarily difficult for all involved. I’m keen to help all parties to ensure the best possible outcome for the individual and the force.

I have a passion for promoting male parenting rights and male health for both police staff and officers.

I became a steward as I know, from personal experience, UNISON can help when staff are bewildered and don’t know where to turn. I hope I will be able to provide such guidance and support for others.