The outgoing Chair of the Jewish Police Association (JPA), Chief Inspector Mat Shaer, has expressed his regret at having to step down as Chair. In his tenure since 2008, the JPA has rapidly expanded both in terms of membership and influence. At the core of his tenure, Mat committed the JPA to providing an exceptional level of welfare and support to members and advice and guidance to the wider police service, Home Office, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and College of Policing.
He is particularly proud of having delivered on behalf of the JPA a functioning national structure, JPA UK. Other highlights include the launch of an ambitious recruitment campaign within the Jewish community and being integral to the JPA being shortlisted in 2012 for the prestigious ENEI (Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion) national award for Employee Network Group of the Year. The JPA was also specifically cited as contributing to the Metropolitan Police winning the overall Public Sector Employer of the Year Award. Mat has also managed to bring the JPA into the present with a lively social media and website presence.
One of the areas Mat was particularly proactive in was developing relationships within the Jewish community, reaching out to all sections and in seeking to continually enhance community cohesion with other communities and religions. Earlier this year, Mat was part of a fact finding team that visited Poland as part of the 70th Anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
Commenting on his departure, Mat said:
“It has been my honour and privilege to Chair the Jewish Police Association since 2008. I have stepped down reluctantly but I wanted to ensure that the progress the JPA has made was not jeopardised by the constraints operational policing has on my availability. It is perhaps a compliment that the demands and requests made of the JPA have grown so extensive that without the necessary support mechanisms it became increasingly difficult to fulfil them all. I wish my successor and the JPA the very best mazel for the future. I am greatly looking forward to spending more time being involved with community charitable causes that are dear to me, particularly The Boys Clubhouse in Barnet.”