Yesterday, EuroCOP met with officials from the European Commission’s DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion — Unit C.2, Health and Safety at Work — for an important discussion on Violence against Police Officers (VaPO).
EuroCOP President Roberto García González, Head of Office Nigel Dennis, Margareta Przybyła and Dan Wolff met with Head of Unit Artur Furtado and legal team leader Gordana Materljan.
The discussion focused on the serious lack of consistent European data and analysis concerning violence against police officers. EuroCOP presented its position on the need for a dedicated VaPO data repository, helping institutions and policymakers understand the scale and nature of the problem and develop effective measures to protect officers.
EuroCOP also outlined its ongoing engagement with the European Parliament, Member States, DG HOME, DG JUST, the Commissioners responsible for Home Affairs and Justice, EU-OSHA and CEPOL.
We are particularly hopeful that:
- The European Parliament’s Employment and Social Affairs Committee will shortly begin its work on recognising policing and other occupations as high-risk professions.
- The mental-health impact of policing, including repeated exposure to violence and trauma, will be fully recognised and addressed. EuroCOP will now engage directly with Eurostat to explore how data collection on violence against police officers can be strengthened. We will also continue building support among Member States, MEPs and the European Commission, while following up with DG SANTE on mental-health initiatives. Police officers cannot be properly protected if the violence they face is not properly recorded, understood and acted upon.