The policing role within local emergency governance in response to extreme weather: welfare, partnership work, and leadership

Climate-related extreme weather is reshaping the role of police organizations within local emergency governance, yet the ways in which policing is embedded within such multiagency frameworks remain under-examined. Drawing on a qualitative case study of a Local Resilience Forum (LRF) in England, based on twenty-four semi-structured interviews with police practitioners, senior emergency governance leads, and partner agencies, this article examines how police organizations contribute to local emergency governance during climate-related disasters. Three findings are identified. First, the police operate as ‘generalist’ responders, acting as a first point of contact and undertaking safeguarding, welfare checks, and evacuation support, often in challenging conditions. Second, specialist functions, including civil contingencies, neighbourhood, rural, and wildlife units, are key to local partnership work. Third, police leadership of the LRF is valued by partners, enabling other responders to focus on specialist tasks. The article argues that climate-related disruption is normalizing reliance on police as generalist responders and institutional anchors of local resilience systems, raising significant questions about responder welfare, organizational capacity and the sustainability of police-led emergency governance as extreme weather events become more frequent, severe and protracted.