Officer wins Thames Valley Police Federation's Women in Policing Award

An officer who set up a Menopause Action Group to help colleagues receive support and workplace adjustments – leading to Thames Valley becoming the UK’s first ‘Menopause Friendly Police Force’ – has won Thames Valley Police Federation’s 2023 Women In Policing Award.

Det Insp Natalie Beresford set up the Menopause Action Group in October 2021, after suffering debilitating symptoms herself, including insomnia and anxiety. Thanks to the Menopause Action Group, officers going through the menopause can now receive adjusted uniforms and have official channels to support and protect them.

Det Insp Beresford was a response Inspector in Reading when she began experiencing symptoms, but she was misdiagnosed and signed off with depression. When COVID hit, she returned to work early to support her team, but was suffering from insomnia.

She said: “Some nights I’d be running three LPAs on no sleep. That became really difficult to sustain. I started using all my rest days and my leave to take off shifts, thinking I could catch up on sleep and manage my symptoms. But of course that didn’t work.

“I’m really fit and sporty but suddenly I had no energy. And then you get the confusion; I genuinely believed I was getting dementia – I wouldn’t recognise people I worked with every day, and I’d lose words.”

Det Insp Beresford was put onto adjusted duties, but she felt there must be a better way to support menopausal women than to effectively class them as disabled. So she gave a presentation to the Chief Constable at the Diversity and Inclusion Board about the issues faced by officers going through the menopause and he agreed something must be done.

Thanks to the work of the Menopause Action Group, menopausal women are now allowed changes to their uniform, such as trousers designed specifically for women, cooling stab vests and cotton shirts.

In addition, being signed off sick for menopause is now recorded, which gives women protection from disciplinary procedures in relation to attendance and performance.

And Menopause Buddies is a network of 50 officers and staff across the force who have been trained to offer peer support. They hold webinars with menopause specialist GPs, and provide training for managers. In August 2022, Thames Valley Police was accredited as ‘Menopause Friendly’, the first UK police force to achieve this.

Det Insp Beresford said: “It’s a huge honour to receive this award. I’m coming up to retirement now and there are many more women in Thames Valley Police than there used to be, so it feels like this is an award for all of us. When I first joined the police, it felt like we joined a men’s police force, that we were guests. And I feel now that we’re not – this is our force too. And our male colleagues are supporting us, they’re standing beside us.

“We know that women often leave the workplace when they go through the menopause, and Thames Valley Police is now a place where women don’t have to leave. They can stay in their jobs with all the right, reasonable adjustments. It keeps our workforce diverse, it keeps that experience here. It’s so important.”

Thames Valley Police Federation Chair Craig O’Leary said: “Natalie has worked tirelessly to ensure that other women don’t suffer at work like she did. Considering that 48% of our workforce is female, this is so important and it has raised awareness of the menopause across the force.”

DI Beresford will attend the 2023 Thames Valley Police Federation Bravery Awards on Thursday 27 April where she will receive her Award.

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