Manchester’s creative agency Loaf has teamed up with the National Police Wellbeing Service, Oscar Kilo, to launch a nationwide initiative called “Operation Hampshire.” The goal of the initiative is to provide support and raise awareness for victims of assaults within the police force.
To understand the issue at hand and create an effective strategy, Loaf and Oscar Kilo conducted in-depth research and workshops. They also produced a lead video that was narrated by former police officer and Crimewatch presenter Rav Wilding and filmed at a parkour facility in Rotherham. The video, along with internal communications and digital assets, is meant to encourage change in behavior and start important conversations on the subject.
Oscar Kilo was established in 2019 with the purpose of improving the wellbeing of police forces across England and Wales. They worked with Loaf to deliver the initiative, and Communication and Engagement Manager Jenna Flanagan praised Loaf for their creative contribution and impactful outcome in the campaign.
The “Together against assaults” campaign calls on all police forces in England and Wales to participate and shine a light on the complexities surrounding assaults on police officers and staff. The initiative intends to provide support for victims and improve the response and support for those affected by assaults within the police force.
Dave Mullen, Co-founder and Creative Director at Loaf, said: “Assaults on police officers and staff are a serious matter, with potentially devastating consequences. Our role was not only to communicate the visible and hidden effects of assault, but to also move towards changing the culture that sometimes stops people reporting them in the first place. We had to produce something different, challenging, emotive and empathetic in order to connect, start conversations and initiate a change in behaviour.”
Loaf also delivered internal communications, social and digital assets and toolkits for forces across the country to utilise: https://loaf.agency/work/together-against-assaults
Dave Brewster, National Operation Hampshire Co-ordinator, commented: “The subject of police assaults is emotive, and it was essential that our message resonated with colleagues. We needed to ensure that our colleagues recognised that Op Hampshire was developed for them, recognising the unique role they play in society. The team at Loaf clearly understood the essence of Op Hampshire and the culture in which we operate in. We were fully engaged in the creative process and our views were obviously respected and appropriately and creatively challenged to deliver the most effective outcome. The film finds a perfect balance, clearly articulating the point, whilst approaching the issue from a subtle but impactful angle.”
Communication and Engagement Manager for Oscar Kilo, Jenna Flanagan said: “Loaf have been fantastic to work with – from the very start of the concept creation, right through the execution and delivery of the campaign. They quickly picked up on the brief and understood the unique challenges we were trying to address. The team provided some real creativity to our thinking and we’ve ended up with a really impactful campaign that we believe will have real longevity.”
