Detective Inspector Justin Howard in the New Gym
A new purpose-built gym will help officers maintain and improve their physical and mental health, says the Cambridgeshire Police Federation member behind the project.
Detective Inspector Justin Howard, the Force’s lead gym single point of contact (SPOC), has been working on a new facility at Thorpe Wood station in Peterborough over the past few months.
It replaces the station’s previous gym, which was situated in an old office.
Chief Constable Nick Dean officially opened the new gym, and Justin said it will bring many benefits to individual officers and the Force.
He said: “The organisation is committed to looking after our wellbeing, and this new space is testament to that.
“It will help ensure officers are able to maintain and improve both their physical and mental health.
“Policing is a tough occupation and as an organisation it is so important to look after the health of our workforce, which is of course improved through exercise.
“Professionalising the gym space has seen significant improvement regarding our health and safety compliance, reducing the risks around injury when exercising and using the equipment.
“And officers who have sustained injury – physical and psychological – are, in some cases, able to return to work quicker due to having access to this and the seven other gyms across the Force.
“This means we can get our officers back doing the job that they love and ensure we can serve the public with strength in numbers.”
Cambridgeshire Police has eight gyms, including the new Thorpe Wood facility, which are maintained by Justin and a team of seven SPOCs.
Each SPOC holds a nationally-recognised NVQ Level 2 qualification to ensure users are inducted properly and professionally.
Now he’s looking to improve the other gym facilities.
“I won’t stop until all our gyms are even better for our officers,” he said.