Building bridges

Federation 

In this issue 

Steve Williams addresses the conference 

www.hampshirepolfed.org.uk 

Issue 8 

June 2013 

The Newsletter of Hampshire and IOW Police Federation 

Conference 

Special 

The Police Federation 

Conference 

The Chairman’s 

Foreword 

Tom Winsor 

Secretary’s Scribbles 

Eve of the Conference 

Federation Conference- 

An Observers View 

2012 Police Performance 

Regulations 

PC Steve ‘Slim’ Rawson 

Constables Branch 

Board 

The Sergeants 

Conference 

Remembering the 

Fallen 

Lead Report 

Tattoos 

Building 

bridges 

This year’s conference was always going to be 

an interesting one. Over the past couple of 

years it has been no secret that the relationship 

between the Federation and Government has 

been a rocky one. 

In addition, internal squabbles have been played out in the media which 

in turn have fallen very nicely into the laps of certain politicians with a 

desire to see the Federation fail. 

continued on page 3

Contact Details 

Hampshire 

Police Federation 

Federation House 

Police HQ 

Winchester 

Hampshire 

SO22 5DBus, 

Direct Line: 

01962 871588 

Internal: 

793418 

Email: 

hampshire@polfed.org 

Twitter: 

@Hantspolfed 

@Hantsfedchair 

Web: 


Contactable via 

the Federation mailbox 

John Apter - Chairman 

Paul Robertson - Secretary 

Phil Callard - Treasurer 

Mary Smith - Office Manager 

Gary Hemmings - 

Office administrator 

Printed by 

Hampshire Printing Services 

01962 870099 

2 

The 

Chairman’s 

Foreword John Apter 

Chairmans Update 

We are still coming to terms with 

the the death of Fareham officer, 

PC Steve ‘slim’ Rawson who died 

on duty following a collision in 

Southampton in April. At times 

of such tragedy the police service 

comes together as a family. Over 

recent years the family ethos within 

policing has been lacking but Slim’s 

death has reignited that sense of 

togetherness. The messages of 

support since his loss have been 

overwhelming and have been of 

great comfort for his family. Slim 

leaves behind a young family who 

are part of our family, they will be 

supported by the Police Federation 

for however long they wish. 

In this edition of Federation Times you 

will read about this years national Police 

Federation Conference. The annual 

conference is an important time for the Police 

Federation, it gives us a sense of direction 

and allows us to refocus on the important 

issues. You will see that there is a desire for 

the Federation to work more closely with 

Government, to rebuild relationships. 

Over recent times the relationship between 

the Government and the Police Federation 

has been problematic. This, however has 

not been without good reason. The way 

the Government bulldozed the reform 

agenda through with little regard for the 


unique position police officers hold has 

been shameful. The national Federation was 

criticised for not responding with advice to 

‘down tools’ or refuse to carry out certain 

duties. Whether we like it or not the Police 

Federation is not a Union and we are 

restricted in what we can do. This has been 

the case since the creation of the Police 

Federation back in 1919. Whilst this may 

frustrate some members it has previously 

served us well. 

What is clear is that having a broken 

relationship with Government has achieved 

nothing. That is why this years Police 

Federation conference was one of bridge 

building and relationship mending. 

The focus of your Federation should be 

representing you, not scoring cheap points 

with politicians. But in return, as we move 

forward, there must be a genuine desire from 

Government to engage constructively with 

the voice of the rank and file. Early indications 

are positive. 

I hope you find this edition interesting, as 

always any feedback is most welcome. 

Stay safe 

John Apter, 

Chairman 

Hampshire Police Federation

The new National Chairman, Steve Williams had also recently 

announced an independent review into the Police Federation. This 

decision was seen as some as the wrong decision and again our 

differences have been played out in the national media. Then there 

is Plebgate, a set of events which are still under investigation but 

have caused the Police Federation a great deal of damage amongst 

our members and the Government. If ever there was a time to 

draw a line in the sand and unite it was now. 

Steve Williams took to the stage and talked about his early 

experiences in policing. He talked about dealing with the death of 

a young girl and then on the same day helping to deliver a new 

born baby, both incidents not about detecting crime but helping 

people. Steve spoke with emotion when he talked about why he 

became a Federation rep, he said “But who’d be a Fed rep? Loved 

by nobody, a thorn in everyone’s side, but it’s so crucial to be that 

thorn. To ask the difficult questions. To bring to light matters that 

others would rather keep in the dark. To challenge assumptions 

with facts. To stand up for our colleagues. Standing up for the 

police service as a whole. Helping to make sure that it works in 

the best way possible for everyone involved.” 

On the independent review of the Police Federation Steve Williams 

said “Reform and change are always feared. Yet, we cannot bury 

our heads in the sand and ignore what is going on around us…. we 

should not be working against each other but working with each 

other to build a Federation that we can be all be proud of.” 

Both Steve Williams and the Home Secretary paid tribute to our 

former Chairman, Paul McKeever. It was strange to think that Paul 

was on that stage only a year earlier with his never ending passion 

and pride about being a police officer. 

Steve Williams reminded the Home Secretary of the criticism 

levelled at police officers for the actions of a minority. He said, 

“Too often the behaviour of a small minority of officers is held up 

as that of the majority. So often we have heard the mantra that 

the police service is the last unreformed service and that is why 

we have had our pay, pension, conditions in fact - pretty much 

every aspect of our working lives held up for change”. 

One area of most concern for police officers is the threat of 

compulsory severance. This undermines the foundations of 

policing. Steve Williams asked the Home Secretary to preserve the 

constitutional position of officers by taking compulsory severance 

off the negotiating table. He said “The power for Chiefs to sack 

officers undermines the very foundation of policing, namely the 

Office of Constable”. 

The Home Secretary declined to take up the Chairman’s offer and 

compulsory severance for police officers will be discussed later 

this year. 

The Home Secretary was welcomed by conference in a 

professional manner. After last year’s events it was important that 

the newspaper headlines were not focused on the delegate’s 

behaviour but more on the Home Secretary’s performance. 

Theresa May started her speech by remembering those officers 

who had been killed on duty, including our own PC Steve Rawson. 

The Home Secretary talked about her feelings when GMP 

officers Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes were brutally murdered 

and the impact that such a vicious act had had upon her. She 

Federation Times Issue 8 June 2013 

Police Federation 

Conference cont... 

“ 

The power for Chiefs to sack 

officers undermines the very 

foundation of policing, namely 

the Office of Constable. 

Steve Williams 

then went on to announce that those convicted of murdering a 

police officer should spend life in prison. She said “I can announce 

today that, subject to consultation with the Sentencing Council, 

the Government will change the law so that the starting point 

for anybody who kills a police officer should be a life sentence 

without parole. We are clear; life should mean life for anyone 

convicted of murdering a police officer”. 

continued on page 4 

www.hampshirepolfed.org.uk 3 

“

The Home Secretary said she wanted to trust the police service 

to make decisions. Therefore she announced that the Home 

Office will increase the scope of police-led prosecutions to include 

shoplifting of goods worth £200 or less. This will allow 50,000 

prosecutions being led by the police. This was welcomed by the 

delegates but let’s remember this is how is used to be before 

CPS took over the role. It appears the good ideas from the past 

eventually reappear! 

The Home Secretary took great delight in telling us that the target 

culture was gone and many of the targets have been removed. It 

may be the case that the Home Secretary has removed targets 

but the feeling from the rank and file is that they still very much 

exist! 

It is clear that the passion for a better use of technology is shared 

by the Home Secretary. Theresa May talked about the better 

use of body worn video, electronic witness statements and 

mobile data. This is an area set to expand in the coming months 

with more Chief Officers being encouraged to modernise their 

practices. 

The Home Secretary agreed with Steve Williams that police 

officers should not plug the gaps of other public sector agencies. 

On this she said ”police officers have many skills, but they are not 

in a position to be psychiatrists diagnosing and treating mental 

illness – nor are you meant to be social workers or ambulance 

drivers. You are thrust into that role because when members of 

the public have concerns for an individual’s safety, they do not 

know who to call for help –except the police”. 

The Home Secretary announced an urgent review in conjunction 

with the Health Secretary into Mental Health and Ambulance 

provision. In addition there will be a review into Section 136 of 

the Mental Health Act. These announcements are most welcome 

as this is an area where police officers are plugging the gaps of 

4 


Theresa May, Home Secretary 

addresses the conference 

others, which is not in the best interest of the public and can 

put officers at risk. Whilst police officers will do their very best 

in a critical situation those with the benefit of hindsight, lawyers, 

reflection and a comfortable office are the ones making career 

limiting decision on officers who are trying their very best to make 

broken systems work. 

The Home Secretary accepted that times were difficult and that 

police officers and the police service had been through a difficult 

time but she reminded the conference that crime was falling and 

public satisfaction was good. From this it appears we are being 

punished for success! 

Despite the predictable political posturing this was a conciliatory 

speech. It is clear that bridges are being built and relationships 

mended. Some of you will say we (the Federation) should 

refuse to engage constructively and not worry about building 

relationships. This has been the stance previously and has not 

helped at all. 

“ 

It is always better to be 

inside and shaping the 

future than outside and 

moaning about what is 

being done to you. 

“

Tom Winsor 

Tom Winsor attended this year’s Police Federation conference as 

the Chief HMIC, but as he spoke the delegates could not ignore 

the impact of Winsor’s reform package has had on them and the 

service. 

As Mr Winsor spoke it was clear he was focused on what he 

wanted to achieve in his new role. 

He started to talk about the patchwork quilt of police IT across 

the country and promised to examine how cuts to other parts of 

the public sector are increasing the burden on officers. 

Mr Winsor acknowledged that some officers had felt “effectively 

handcuffed” by the IT available to them and proposed over the 

coming months to explore ways to improve the efficiency and 

effectiveness of the current technology. 

“I believe that if the public knew just how patchy and antiquated it 

is they would be shocked,” Winsor said. “I think the interoperability 

of IT systems is absolutely crucial and it is absolutely astonishing 

just how little interoperability truly exists.” 

He cited the Police National Database as a major leap forward 

but added there was still a “long way to go” to give officers the 

modern kit they need. 

Speaking of the future, Mr Winsor also promised to work closely 

with other agencies to establish how wider public sector cuts 

are adversely affecting the service and referred to a soon to be 

published joint report with Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of the 

Crown Prosecution Service on the use of Section 136 of the 

Mental Health Act 1983. This was welcomed by the delegates. 

It has long been the case that once other public sector agencies 

had ‘clocked off’ for the day that the police are used as the fall 

back position to cover the gaps. The controversial issue of officers 

being left to look after and check on vulnerable people was a 

reoccurring theme of conference. 

On this issue Mr Winsor said, “Officers have told me and my 

fellow inspectors repeatedly that helping people with mental 


health needs consumes a vast and increasing amount of officers’ 

time with examples such as two constables being taken from 

their other duties for upwards of eight hours at a time in order to 

escort a prisoner with mental health problems to hospital and to 

keep watch,” 

“I am very clear that health professionals must fulfil their role 

in this regard particularly as undiagnosed or untreated mental 

illness can, as we know, lead to…serious violent crime. The other 

HMI’s and I will work on your behalf with the Home Office and 

other government departments on this issue to ensure that each 

service fully and properly discharges its responsibilities rather than 

abdicating its duty in favour of the one public service which will 

never say no.” 

It was clear that Mr Winsor wants to make a difference in his role 

as Chief HMIC. 

His past could not be ignored though. A question from one of the 

delegates asked if his reform recommendations had gone too far 

and too fast. His reply “I don’t think we went too far or too fast. I 

would have liked to have gone further in some respects.” Whether 

Mr Winsor was brave, confident or arrogant, he certainly doesn’t 

shy away from controversy! 

National position for local Chairman 

The Chairman of Hampshire Police Federation, 

John Apter, has been appointed as the national 

Federation lead for pursuit and response matters. 

John will work closely with the national Federation 

Roads Policing Lead, John Giblin in this important 

area of work. 

On this appointment John said “pursuit and response 

driving is a high risk area of work for our members. They 

need to have confidence that the Police Federation will 

work closely with ACPO and others to manage the risks 

and to highlight the unacceptable legal vulnerabilities they 

face when they are doing a job they have been trained to 

do. My main focus will be to build on the achievements 

we have made and to bring about changes in law which 

will provide better protection for our members”. 

The role will be an additional one and will run 

alongside his current position. 

www.hampshirepolfed.org.uk 5

Secretary’s Scribbles 

In this edition I will concentrate on Local 

and National conditions of service / 

regulations and pensions. 

There have quite a number of small, but important changes to 

regulations and determinations over the past few months, some 

that are not that well known, and also some that I’m sure you 

will be aware of, so I thought I’d give you a summary of the main 

changes. 

Police Negotiating Board to be scrapped 

Subject to Parliamentary approval there will be a Police Review 

body taking the place of the Police Negotiation Board. It will be 

called the PRRB (Police Remuneration Review Board). 

It’s anticipated that the new PRRB will be operational by autumn 

2014, with a view to making recommendations in time for the 

2015/16 pay year. 

The most significant features of the new Police Remuneration 

Review Body will be: 

 

of police remuneration currently covered by the Police 

Negotiating Board including hours of duty, leave, pay and 

allowances, or the issue, use and return of police clothing, 

personal equipment and accoutrements; 

 

Body (PRRB); 

 

Northern Ireland; 

 

Police Advisory Board for England and Wales (PABEW); 

 

of the PABEW to ensure consistency in approaches to police 

pensions across these jurisdictions; 

 

Review Body (SSRB), to ensure consistency across the public 

sector in the remuneration of our most senior public servants, 

though the Home Secretary will retain the power to refer 

matters relating to chief officer pay to the PRRB if it is in the 

strategic interests of policing; and 

 

September to September cycle, rather than changing to April 

to be aligned with the financial year. 

6 

CRTP. 


Competency Related Threshold Payments are to be phased 

out over three years from April 2013 to April 2016. This will be 

achieved on a sliding scale as follows; 

Officers in receipt of CRTP will receive the following reduced 

amounts: 

From 1 April 2013 £900 per annum 



From 1 April 2016 £0.00 

Yearly Pay Increments/Pay Scales 

Paul Roberston 

On the 1 st April 2012 the Government announced a freeze in pay 

increments except for new recruits up to pay scale 3. The freeze 

was for 2 years and will end on 31 st March 2014. The position 

of the Official Side, Home Secretary and PAT is that when the 

incremental freeze ends officers will continue from the point at 

which they have been frozen. 

You will be aware that a new Pay Scale for new recruits was 

recently published. In addition to this the pay scale of serving 

constables is likely to be reduced from 10 pay scales down to 7. 

The pay scale for serving constables is still subject to discussion at 

PNB. The Police Federation have set up a technical working group 

to ensure that any potential changes are well thought out and that 

constructive feedback is fed into PNB. There are concerns around 

the gender pay gap. 

You may also be aware that as part of the Winsor Reforms access 

to the top tier of pay for all Federated ranks will be subject to 

passing a Specialist Skills Threshold Test every two years, this to 

be made available to specific mostly frontline roles only and in 

addition moving to the next pay scale (for all pay scales) subject 

to at least a satisfactory PDR. The College of Policing has taken 

this work on. The work was due to be concluded this summer; 

however the College of Policing has been given an additional 

12 months to come up with the detail on this. It’s complicated 

because it means there will need to be a consistent and fair PDR 

with National minimum competencies, it’s also difficult to decide 

what roles will be deemed ‘frontline’, because the consequence 

for those that are not is that officers may not be able to take the 

Competency Skills Threshold Test which will allow them to access 

or be retained on the top tier of pay.

Voluntary Exit/Compulsory Severance 

A determination has now been made to allow voluntary exit. Any 

scheme is subject to approval by both the Chief Constable and 

PCC of each Force. So far no Forces in England and Wales have 

agreed to bring in voluntary exit. Voluntary exit allows for Police 

Officers to leave the Force with a maximum of up 21 months’ 

pay (1 month for each year worked) as long as the officer has 

not reached 30 years’ service. If the officer is above normal 

pensionable age it is a maximum of 6 months’ pay. 

If individual Police Forces did bring this in I would need to warn 

officers to check their pensionable entitlements. For example 

if you have 20 years’ service, you would be offered 20 months’ 

pay (Subject to 40% tax), however the sting in the tail is that you 

would not be entitled to claim your pension until 60 years old (If 

in the 1987 pension scheme). 

Compulsory Severance (Similar to redundancy) is currently still 

being negotiated. The Police Federation have far more concern 

over this as it has the potential to remove any officer at any stage 

of their service with very little compensation. The compensation 

figure for Compulsory Severance will be a maximum of 12 

months’ pay (1 month for each year). If it does come in it is 

likely that Forces would have to offer voluntary exit first before 

Compulsory severance. 

The Police Federation has been very vocal that Compulsory 

Severance doesn’t fit in with the constitution and special role 

of a Police Officer, as redundancy in employment law applies 

to a specific role, whereas the role the Police Officer role is 

Omni-competent and applies to many roles. There will be more 

information coming out on Compulsory Severance following the 

PNB meeting of 24 th July 2013. 

Pensions 

You’ll be aware (depending on your scheme) that pension 

subscriptions generally increased by 1.25% this year and 1.25% 

last year. To be in line with the Governments proposals that 

public sector pension subscriptions rise by 3.2% over 3 years I 

would estimate that there will be another 0.7% rise in April 2014, 

however this hasn’t been announced yet. 

The framework has already been announced regarding the new 

Pension Scheme which will commence from 1 st April 2015. There 

is still a lot of detail that needs to be added to the scheme and 

there are a number of working part’s set up to look at the detail. 

We do know that the accrual rate for the new pension will be 

1/55.3 with a yearly enhancement of the CPI rate + 1.25%. 

Section 2 of the Police Pensions Act has now been repealed (This 

is the law that governs our scheme); the new Police Pension has 

now been given Royal Ascent. The next stage is to implement the 

scheme and to publish the detail of the scheme. The time frames 

for this because of the amount of work involved are small. 

Federation Times Times Issue Issue 6 October 8 June 2013 2012 

Restricted Officers/Ill Health 

Lastly this is another subject that I receive a lot of enquiries about. 

There is still much concern from restricted officers regarding this 

Winsor recommendation:- 

Recommendation 39 – From September 2014, officers on restricted 

duty should have their deployability and capability to exercise police 

powers assessed one year after being placed on restricted duty. 

Officers who are not deployable and are not capable of work which 

requires the office of constable should sustain a reduction in pay 

equal to the value of the deployability element of the X-factor, namely 

the lower of eight per cent and £2,922 per annum. After a further 

year, appropriate proceedings should be initiated to dismiss or retire 

these officers from the police service on the grounds of incapability 

or poor attendance. Officers who are permanently disabled from 

working as police officers should be ill-health retired. Those who are 

not permanently disabled should be given the opportunity to resign 

as police officers and immediately take up a police staff job on police 

staff terms and conditions, if one is available. 

It is anticipated that restrictions will be reviewed under specific 

headings such as:- 

Recuperative duties 

Management direction 

Permanent injuries/disability - DDA issues - requiring 

reasonable adjustments and compliance with legislation. 

This is currently being negotiated at PNB. It is anticipated that 

there will be more news on this following the PNB meeting of July 

24 th . 

In relation to Ill Health, because of financial restrictions the 

Government has disincentivised Forces offering ill health 

retirement. In Hampshire last year there were nearly 50 officers 

retired on the grounds of Ill Health. It is likely that the number of 

officers being offered ill health retirement will drop significantly 

this year. I have also noticed that the number of officers being 

refused an ill health certificate has gone up in recent months and 

as a result the number of appeals that I am receiving has risen 

significantly in the last few months. 

Paul Robertson 

General Secretary 

Hampshire Police Federation 

Pension Seminars 

Following the changes to the Police Pension 

scheme Hampshire Police Federation will be 

holding pension seminars in the near future. 

These will be advertised via email and to those 

who subscribe to website newsletters. 

Watch this space! 


EVE OF CONFERENCE 

The Eve of Conference Meeting was held on Monday afternoon 

at the BiC. The meeting was entitled ‘Equal Risk, Equal Pay’. Sam 

Roberts, the Chairperson, opened the meeting by stating that in 

the past year we have lost female colleagues and so are facing the 

same risks as our male colleagues and should therefore receive the 

same pay. A moving video was shown of all fallen female officers, 

including PC Philippa Parish, a Hampshire officer who died on duty 

in 1996. 

Then followed a presentation by Jayne Monkhouse OBE, Equality 

Advisor to the Police Federation on the Equal Pay Audit. Equal 

pay is about the pay of men and women. The National pay gap for 

full time officers is 15.5%. Unequal pay is a consequence of the 

way women’s work was and is undervalued, or how men’s work is 

especially rewarded. 

The audit looked at the average pay of all male constables 

nationally, including SPP, CRTP etc. which is then compared to the 

average pay of women of that rank. Some causes of equal pay gap 

are 

 

e.g. traffic, firearms) 

 

having time off) 

 

systems, unsocial hours & shift working, length of service). 

The percentage pay gap for each rank is Constables 10%, 

Sergeants 7.5%, Inspectors 3.6% and Chief Inspectors 3.4%. EHRC 

says that a pay gap should be investigated if it is more than 5%. 

Any organisation can have a difference in pay but it must be 

because of a material factor that is unrelated to gender. Police 

forces should be identifying their own pay gap and looking to see 

what they can do to reduce it. 

Next there was a legal update from Emma Hawksworth of Slater 

Gordon solicitors. Emma explained the definition of disability and 

the duty to make reasonable adjustments. Two recent cases were 

then presented to the meeting. 

An officer was diagnosed with cancer in 2006. She had treatment, 

recovered and returned to work in 2007. The radiotherapy 

treatment had reduced the effectiveness of her immune system 

and therefore she had lots of short term sickness. In early 2011, 

her sickness came onto the force’s radar as she had exceeded 

the trigger. The Force increased her trigger to 12-24 days per year. 

The FMA said that increasing her trigger would be a reasonable 

adjustment. He suggested around 20% would be reasonable, which 

equated to 44 days per year. In October 2011, her trigger was 

set at 13.2 days per year. She took her case to an employment 

tribunal. The tribunal found that she had been disadvantaged due 

to her disability and that the force had failed to make a reasonable 

adjustment as the 13 days target was not reasonable. 

8 


The second case concerned an officer diagnosed with multiple 

scerlosis and certified as permanently disabled. The force decided 

to retain him with a role in the Crime Management Unit. In 2010 

the force decided to move the unit to another location, an hour’s 

drive away. The officer requested to work from his local station. 

In January 2011, the force found that the role could not be done 

remotely. In Feb 2011, he was medically retired. He took his case 

to an employment tribunal and the ET found that insufficient 

consideration had been given to possibility of working remotely. 

The level of consideration required is the same as that for flexible 

working applications. The ET found that the effect of the officer 

working remotely was a minor inconvenience rather than having a 

significant impact. 

The final presentation was entitled Fair & Just Management 

by Professor Jennifer Brown, who is assisting with Labour’s 

Independent Review of Policing. Jennifer presented results of 

surveys she has conducted with police officers nationally. Her 

surveys show that if fairness levels are high, officers are more likely 

to accept changes, perform better, feel committed and are better 

able to have a good work-life balance. Her final statement was 

that every police force should be ‘an organisation brave enough to 

admit when it’s wrong.’ 

Sam Roberts made some closing comments. The Equal Pay Audit 

does not make for easy reading and we need to ensure that 

any changes and the impact of the College of Policing does not 

disproportionately affect female officers. 

Zoe Wakefield 

Reserve Seat Sergeants Representative 

Hampshire Police Federation

Did you know? 

The Federation subscriptions you pay receive tax relief? However, 

you must apply for it. For more information and a pro forma letter 

all of the details can be found on our website. Here is the link 

http://www.hampshirepolfed.org.uk/services/tax.htm 


Federation Conference - An observers view 

DC Scott Spafford works within CID at Eastleigh. Like many police 

officers he wants’ to make sure his Police Federation are working on 

his behalf so Scott came to this years Federation conference to see 

for himself if the Police Federation were doing their bit. These are his 

thoughts… 

So what does the Federation do for me? 

A question asked by so many across the force I thought I right 

to find out more so I asked to attend the 2013 Federation 

Conference as an observer (which meant taking 4 days leave to 

do so)! 

This years Conference was held at Bournemouth and it’s fair 

to say that it was well organised and strictly run to a set of 

established rules and guidelines. The first full day of Conference 

began with each rank holding its own meeting so I duly sat 

through the Constables Central Committee Meeting to see how 

the 80% of the Federation members transact their business and 

how our voices are heard. A lively morning was had and it’s fair 

to say that up and down the country was have some strong 

representation who care about the changes we have gone 

through. 

The Shadow Home Secretary gave the opposition view on the 

first afternoon and came across well. Received by those present 

and listening. 

The new Chairman of the Federation Steve WILLIAMS spoke 

about the review of the Federation and how by working together 

with the Home Office and policing the future. Given it was his 

first keynote speech it seemed well structured and honest. He 

acknowledged the Federation needs to change to progress 

and despite some indifference from certain quarters I feel the 

forthcoming review of the Federation and its practices should lead 

to it being more efficient can only be a good thing. 

Hampshire Police Federation invited both the PCC Mr HAYES and 

the Chief Constable Mr MARSH to conference on the Wednesday 

morning. The PCC and the Chief Constable were in the observers 

area and listened to a debate about Privatisation of some police 

services was addressed. It’s fair to say that to get some frontline 

vacancies filled there may be merit in exploring this avenue. 

We then listened to the Home Secretary Theresa MAY. It was 

good to see that the entire Conference remained professional and 

did not jeer Mrs May after last year. The announcement that ‘life 

means life’ for the murder of an officer doing their duty was VERY 

well received. Questions put to her at the end of her speech 

definitely tested her as an MP !! 

My personal view was that the Home Secretary was a little 

reconciliatory after the wholesale changes we have been through 

and seemed to offer a little olive branch towards us without giving 

us anything. 

This lead on to Tom WINSOR (yes THAT one) speaking in his 

new role as Chief HMIC. Clearly he is now coming from a totally 

differing direction following his review of our service and he now 

strives to work with us. I believe that his review of all 43 forces 

individually will be a good thing – If you get the chance to speak 

to him as part of the review, be honest with him as that’s how you 

can make changes for the better. 

We have taken knocks over the last couple of years as a service 

and the Federation acknowledge that. WINSOR and HUTTON 

were going to happen no matter what we did. But to defence 

of the Federation they did all they can, they have clearly tried to 

defend our position and rights. 

The Federation AGM on the final day saw a number of ballots 

put to the Conference for changes to its constitution and other 

matters which will be published elsewhere. 

What was clear from my time at the Conference was the sense of 

togetherness, camaraderie, passion and care that the Federation 

reps have on behalf of every one of its members and that they 

and we do have a voice that is listened to. I was impressed by 

the professionalism of our local reps, they genuinely care about 

representing us, many of them in their own time. I was one of 

those who would moan about why the Federation hadn’t done 

this, or complained about why they had done that, but spending 

some time with has opened my eyes and reassured me. 

I for one intend becoming more active with the Federation and 

joining as a rep (subject to a ballot of course)! 

DC Scott Spafford 

EE CID 


2012 Police Performance Regulations 

For four years the Police 

(Performance) Regulations have 

lain dormant. The Regulations 

were introduced in 2008 to assist 

forces in supporting officers with 

performance and attendance 

issues. However, possibly due to a 

lack of understanding about how 

the Regulations worked, they were 

rarely used, and the few subject 

to the Regulations became part 

of folklore. The Regulations were updated in 2012 and the below 

article explains how Forces have been enforcing the same. 

The austerity measures appear to us to have heralded a new dawn 

for the Regulations and Forces seem to be invoking the regulations 

with increasing regularity. In so doing the ethos of the Regulations 

– to improve and support – has been overlooked. In addition, 

procedurally, the lack of understanding still exists. 

Regulations in Practice: 

The main difference is that the 2012 version of the Regulations 

gives greater power to the IPCC when a Misconduct matter 

becomes a Performance matter under the Regulations. Most 

notably the IPCC can instruct the Stage 3 panel to grant a right of 

attendance to the Complainant. 

Emergency drivers are trained to the highest levels so they can 

perform their job as safely as possible. No matter how much 

training is provided emergency driving carries an element of 

risk, and in cases of pursuit driving that risk increases significantly. 

Historically when an emergency driver was being considered for 

prosecution their experience and training would be included in the 

decision making process. However, following on from the case of 

Bannister any training or experience is ignored and the emergency 

drivers’ actions must be judged as a careful and competent driver 

(same as a member of the public). 

The problem is the competent and careful driver does not engage 

in pursuit/response drives. If they were to do so they would most 

likely be prosecuted for dangerous driving. 

The case of Hampshire officer PC James Holden highlighted 

the legal vulnerabilities emergency drivers face when he was 

prosecuted for dangerous driving for his role in a non-contentious 

pursuit. Following his acquittal at Crown Court the Police 

Federation worked with ACPO and the Director of Public 

Prosecutions to bring more protection for emergency drivers. 

CPS has now been issued with guidance which offers a level of 

support for those engaged in pursuit and response driving. The 

guidance states; 

“In the course of their duties, police officers, ambulance staff and 

fire-fighters may need to drive a vehicle in response to an emergency 

10 


Our experience suggests that there has been an increase in the 

number of Misconduct matters transferring to Performance 

proceedings – the common perception being that it is easier to 

prove poor performance than gross misconduct. 

However, the majority of cases involve attendance issues. 

Representatives complain that members are automatically placed 

on Stage 1 as soon as they breach the attendance criteria at the 

direction of the Senior Command Team. The Regulations provide 

the first line manager with discretion to make this decision and 

the Home Office Guidance positively encourages the first line 

manager to consider informal action where appropriate. There is 

insufficient focus on support and disability discrimination issues are 

regularly overlooked. 

The Regulations only afford legal representation to those fast 

tracked to a Stage 3 panel for gross incompetence reasons. If 

representatives have a sound understanding of the Regulations 

and procedure in the earlier stages they can ensure that members 

are treated in accordance with their rights. In some cases it may 

be possible to halt the process before a member reaches Stage 3 

and faces the possibility of dismissal. A dismissal as a result of poor 

procedure and a lack of knowledge of the Regulations is a great 

injustice. 

By: Emma Hawksworth, Principal Lawyer, 

Slater & Gordon Employment 

Legal protection for Emergency Drivers 

in a manner which would otherwise be considered unacceptable. Our 

starting point is that it is very unlikely to be appropriate to proceed 

with a prosecution on public interest grounds if a police officer, 

member of ambulance staff or fire-fighter commits a driving offence 

while responding to an emergency call.” 

In addition when considering prosecution CPS will consider the 

following points; 

 

perceived by the driver. For example, whether the driver 

was responding to a 999 call in compliance with the agreed 

operating practice in that service; 

 

the driving); and 

 

danger to others. For example, such evidence may include 

relevant convictions or internal disciplinary proceedings against 

the driver. 

The Police Federation welcomes the guidance but more needs 

to be done. It is not an acceptable position that highly trained 

emergency drivers are judged the same as a member of the 

public and the law needs to be changed to reflect this. The Police 

Federation will continue to do all it can to ensure this protection is 

enshrined in law.

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Constables Branch Board 

A view of conference 

At the Constables meeting on the morning of 

Tuesday 14th May, the Chairman, Will Riches talked 

about some of the events that the Constables of 

England and Wales helped make such a success, e.g. 

the Queens Jubilee, the Olympics. “We delivered, 

working long hours, with minimal rest, while others 

failed to deliver”, he said. 

Will Riches asked that the Government listened to the Constables 

as we are the ones who are the Front Line and there is no doubt 

that the Front Line is being affected by all the recent changes. He 

said Constables are tired of having adverse conditions imposed on 

us, as in spite of what others may say, it was the Constables who 

were the hardest hit by these changes, i.e. Winsor reviews. 

Later, in his keynote address, Will Riches said that the role of the 

Constable was for the brave, the strong and the determined. On 

Constable numbers Will Riches compared us to the rest of Europe, 

and stated we have 30% fewer officers per head of population 

and the new starting salary is less of an incentive for higher calibre 

recruits to actually join the service, but the ethos of the government 

appeared to be ‘pay less, get more’. Even Tom Winsor recognised the 

concerns about the calibre of recruits, yet still recommended the 

reduction in starting pay of Constables. In contrast, in Scotland, the 

Scottish government has refused to implement any of the Winsor 

reforms and it was mentioned how this will make a difference 

to the pay of Police officers over their career and their pension 

contributions. 

There was an economic update from Professor Bob Elliot of 

Aberdeen University and this advised that the outlook will 

812 


continue to be bleak for some time to come, which will almost 

certainly again affect Constables and put additional pressures on 

our starting pay, overtime and incremental progression. 

The Q&A session heard from the Policing minister Damien Green, 

Baroness Harris, Alex Marshall our former Chief Constable now 

head of the College of Policing and Will Riches. 

Damien Green said crime was falling and victim satisfaction was 

going up. Therefore, the changes the government has brought 

in have been worthwhile. Clearly, this view was not universally 

accepted in the conference. Baroness Harris said that Policing is 

special and different to any other job and that change for changes 

sake is wrong. It is a difficult job that cannot be minimised. 

Alex Marshall said that he wanted to listen to the Federation and 

for them to be involved with the development of the College of 

Policing. Some of the best ideas have come from Constables. 

However, it was said that we cannot carry on doing what we are 

doing now. How can things be made more effective in getting 

officers out on the streets? The college will look at the most 

effective methods adopted by forces and to copy these so they 

are implemented nationally. 

Compulsory redundancy for police officers was also mentioned 

and it was noted that those who protect i.e. Police Officers, will 

find themselves unprotected. These concerns have been well made 

to the Home Secretary. 

This was a conference which reminded the service that 

Constables are the backbone, the heart of policing. A statement 

none of us would disagree with. 

Steve Fisher 

Secretary Hampshire CBB 

Thin Blue Line pin badge 

Following the death of Pc Steve ‘Slim’ Rawson a pin badge has been made showing the 

Thin Blue Line. This image has come to signify the bond police officers have and is used 

as a mark of respect when officers are killed on duty. The sale of the badges will help 

to support Slim’s two small children, Gracie (aged 4) and Rocco (aged 10 months). 

The pin badges cost a minimum of £2.00 each, although you can give more if you 

wish. Please send cash or cheques, made payable to PCC for Hampshire PPPSR, to 

the Hampshire Police Federation office at Police HQ. 

Want to be kept up to date with important information from Hampshire Police Federation? 

Why not sign up to our website newsletter at www.hampshirepolfed.org.uk 

Or follow us on Twitter @Hantspolfed


PC Steve ‘Slim’ Rawson 

23 October 1972 - 03 April 2013 

On Wednesday 3rd April 2013 PC Steve ‘Slim’ Rawson was 

killed on duty when his unmarked motorcycle was involved in 

a collision in Southampton. 

Steve was married to Kerry and they had two children Gracie 

aged 4 years and Rocco aged 10 months. 

Following Steve’s loss the messages of support and condolence 

from across the Country have been overwhelming. Whenever 

a police officer is killed on duty we all feel the loss, but when 

the officer is one of your own the impact is more significant and 

painful. As one officer said ‘when one of us fall, we all stumble’. 

Hampshire Police Federation will support Kerry, Gracie and 

Rocco in whatever way they can. In times of crisis we come 

together as a family, we look after our own. 

Steve’s memory will live on, we will never forget him. 

Rest in Peace Steve ‘Slim’ Rawson. 


The Police Federation Conference 

the Sergeants Conference. 

Testing our Rank. 

This years Sergeants Conference was a poignant one 

as we started the morning with a minutes silence for 

Paul McKeever and a short montage of his time in the 

police force and as a Federation Member. 

John Stapleton hosted the session with Damien Green, Minister for 

Policing, Alex Marshall in his new role at the College of Policing, and 

Jayne Monkhouse the equality advisor for the Federation. 

Damien Green stated that reforms were not just about money but 

having a modern and transparent force fit for the 21st century. 

He understands change can be tough but offered no solutions to 

how to deal with the issues brought to the Home Office’s attention. 

Jayne Monkhouse spoke about the fitness test and how she believed 

that the test is Winsor’s way of getting rid of older and disabled 

officers. She feels the Winsor report is focused on having young, 

male officers in service and is more like the Army than the police 

service. From September 2014 those that fail the test more than 

three times may be required to leave under UPP. This could well lead 

to industrial tribunals in the future. Mr Marshall spoke about how 

Hampshire had piloted the test, stating 96% of officers had passed 

the shuttle run. He was challenged by Zoe Wakefield who pointed 

out that some officers were yet to take the test, and those officers 

were the ones who would have the most difficulty. The fitness test 

is here to stay and only future cases brought under an industrial 

tribunal will have any influence. 

Alex Marshall spoke about the college of policing and will be 

focusing on establishing a professional body of policing. He refused 

to say how this would be funded but it is almost certain that police 

officers will have to enrol and I have no doubt we will need to 

subscribe to be able to practice. Mr Marshall said “We are your 

814 

professional body”. However I don’t remember any police officer 

asking him for one. Mr Marshall points out that other professions 

such as nursing have these professional bodies and it will assist 

officers by giving them a professional qualification when the leave 

policing. As the College of Policing evolves we will see how this will 

impact on officers and the service, hopefully it will be for the good 

but we will have to wait and see. 

I remained for the fringe meeting which was the interim report on 

stress faced by Custody Officers. The study was commissioned by 

the Federation. 

A questionnaire was sent out to every force and 930 responses 

were collated. 

The results are not good, showing that stress levels are rising, burn 

out and emotional exhaustion is high. The “burnout” score for 

Custody Officers on previous studies had been 26.7% and 26.9%. 

This latest study showed a marked increase at 32.6%. The study 

showed that 43% of the respondents hit the threshold test for 

having a mild Mental Health problem. It would appear that the main 

issues remain the same as ever. A lack of support, poor breaks and 

a lack of opportunity to be involved in change, alongside a national 

reduction of 9.5% in the Custody Officer roll. However the study 

also showed that performance was good, the 6 on 4 off shift pattern 

comes out as the best way to work and Custody Officers are good 

at leaving problems at work. 

There will be another study commissioned by the Federation in 

2014 for comparison purposes and I would urge any officers to take 

part in the study. 

SGT 3065 Wendie Douglas 

Portsmouth Fedearion Rep 

www.hampshirepolfed.org.uk

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Every year there is a 

memorial week held 

across the USA to 

remember fallen police 

officers. This year one 

of own officers, DC 

Lucia Davies, attended 

the service to act as 

a guard of honour for 

families from the UK 

who attended. Here is 

Lucia’s story; 

16 

Remembering the Fallen 

It is a sad fact that on average eight police officers in the United 

Kingdom will be killed over the course of a year, most of whom 

die in collisions travelling to or from work. But the brutal murders 

of Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone highlighted the risks that 

officers take whenever they start their duty shift. Watching the 

funerals of these two dedicated women I found myself wondering 

how much support there was for their families. Having lost my 

father, 18 months previously, I was aware of the almost repeated 

feeling of loss following a funeral, when friends and family drift 

back to ‘normal life’ and you are left only with your grief. With 

this in mind I began researching support provided for families of 

officers who are killed whilst on duty. 

To my surprise, I found that although there are a number of 

charities which support the children of fallen officers, there is 

only one for the wider family. Care of Police Survivors (COPS). 

The organisation, which is funded through charitable donations, 

supports survivors by providing them with opportunities to meet 

and discuss their unique loss, including a survivor weekend and 

memorial service each July. 

With this knowledge it was with considerable pride that I was 

selected in escorting eleven family members from COPS to 

Washington DC for the USA’s annual National Police Memorial 

Week. 

On 11th May 2013 I and two other officers met the families at 

Heathrow Airport. After being escorted through security by 

members of the Metropolitan Police the families were taken 

to the Upper Class Lounge courtesy of Virgin Atlantic. On 

arrival to Washington DC they were met by two further UK 

officers. Having been again escorted through security they were 

overwhelmed to find over 40 American officers standing Honour 

Guard at the gate, in full uniform with white gloves saluting them 

as they walked past. 


A US officer remembers his colleagues at the Candlelit Vigil

For the next two days I worked at the airport, returning the 

compliment that the American officers had given our survivors by 

providing an Honour Guard to US families. To say the UK officers 

were a hit would be an understatement, and having this slightly 

different sight seemed to amuse the families at a time when they 

were feeling overwhelmed with grief. Some wished to talk about 

their fallen officer, some wished to ask questions about England, 

and the children seemed willing to do anything to get their hands 

on a UK Bobbie Hat! 

On the evening of 13th May the UK officers, along with around 

40,000 American officers and countless family members met 

in Judiciary Square for a candle lit memorial to remember the 

321 law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty who were 

added to the memorial that year. In a moving ceremony during 

which a Thin Blue Line was lazered across the Washington skyline, 

officers and families paid tribute to their fallen colleagues. 

On National Police Memorial Day itself a ceremony was held on 

the West Lawn of the Capitol Building. Over 200 officers lined the 

route for families attending, who were escorted by officers from 

their home forces. Once seated, President Obama gave a speech 

thanking the families for their sacrifice and serving officers for their 

continuing dedication to duty. I was lucky enough to be sitting 

with Jessie, the nine year old grandchild of Mary Ricard, a Prison 

Officer murdered in September 2012 when stabbed by an inmate. 

During the speech Jessie told me ‘I miss my grandma, but I forgive 

the man who killed her’. During the course of the ceremony 

members of the UK police force were invited to hold the flags on 

the stage, and afterwards to stand guard at the wreath which was 

guarded at the memorial until midnight on the 15th. 

UK officers supporting the flags during the ceremony 


At the end of the day I had the chance to view the Memorial 

myself. The wall, which circles both sides of Judiciary Square holds 

the names of nearly 20,000 US officers killed in the line of duty. 

Family members had attended and placed posters and wreaths 

dedicated to their loved ones, and particularly moving were the 

children’s drawings to parents who did not come home from 

work. I was surprised to find that in one corner the names of 

43 international officers had been stuck to the wall, including 16 

officers from the UK. Amongst them was PC Steve Rawson who 

had been killed less than a month previously. Whilst paying my 

respects to these fallen colleagues I found myself surrounded by 

a group of American officers who, without my realising had stood 

honour guard and saluted. Although they had never met these 

brave men and women, their intentions were summed up on the 

memorial poster of an officer killed in 2006 which read ‘You will 

never be forgotten because someone you never knew cares and 

remembers’. 

Thinking back on my experience I am struck most by the family 

attitude the American officers have. As one officer told me, ‘This 

is a brotherhood, all these people are my brothers, and when one 

falls it’s my job to look after his family’. Their pride in their chosen 

profession is truly humbling. 

I am also aware of how much more we have to do in this country. 

As one family member told me ‘COPS is the club that no one 

wants to join, but once you’re in you can never leave’. It’s difficult 

as a serving officer to have to think about those we may leave 

behind, and no one comes to work with an expectation that they 

will not go home. But with recent losses showing us just how 

dangerous this profession can be, it is definitely a charity which 

should receive our full support. 

I want to thank Hampshire Police 

Federation, Philip Williams insurance 

and Hampshire Constabulary for 

supporting me in attending this 

service. 

DC 21790 Lucia Davies 

Lucia Davies 


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Report from the Health & Safety Lead 

Fatigue in Policing 

It’s interesting how downward spirals 

work. Many of us have felt the paradox of 

knowing that exercise will give us more 

energy, but realising that, when we’re 

energy-deprived, we’re least motivated to 

get up and run. 

We all accept that shift systems are an un avoidable ‘must’ in 

the 24 hour cover that we have to provide, but shift work can 

have a huge negative impact on our bodies, more so as we get 

older. The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has been aware of 

this and for sometime now has been been preparing a paper 

on the effects of fatigue on the human body. I believe the 

subject of fatigue; will be the next huge future challenge, for 

those working in the field of 24 hour cover. 

Nobody wants to see a drink driver on our roads; the link to 

accidents and in some tragic cases, deaths is indisputable. But 

did you know that fatigued drivers pose exactly the same risk. 

Just like drink drivers they will be unaware that their driving 

is impaired. Just like drink drivers, their reaction time will be 

affected. A period of 24 hours without sleep (for example), 

going onto a night duty from a day off, would probably place 

you over the acceptable drink drive limit, in terms of your ability 

to drive. If you have ever driven a police vehicle at 4 O’clock in 

the morning and felt tired and I suspect most of us have, then 

that should be a cause for concern. 

Recent research from America has indicated that fatigued 

officers can often be those that get attacked by members 

of the public. They can be subconsciously seen as more 

vulnerable and therefore weaker. This can be exhibited as 

slower movements, lack of eye contact, less confident gait or an 

inability to engage with that member of the public confidently. 

We are told the the modern day health ‘scourge’ is obesity and 

nobody needs to be told of the health implications of that. But 

did you know that a fatigued person will on average, consume 

an additional 300 calories a day. Reaching for the drink that, ‘gives 

you wings’ or the ‘cheeky’ little jam doughnut is not the answer. 

Most of the egregious errors committed in law enforcement 

occur when officers are fatigued or dealing with low-light 

conditions. Fatigue can have a place in virtually everything that 

we do. 

 

shifts and 27.9% on the night shift in comparison with the 

morning shift. 

 

after the eighth hour of a shift, with risk increasing 13% on a 

10 hour shift and almost 30% on a 12 hour shift. 

 

a four-consecutive-night shift. Risk increases incrementally 

over each night on the job: 6% higher on the second night, 

17% higher on the third night and 36% on the fourth. 

Furthermore, fatigue is a real area of concern for new parents. 

Mother & Baby magazine surveyed 3,000 mothers and found 

that the average length of sleep for new mothers is 3.5 hours 

a night for the first 4 months and this only rises to 5 hours a 

night between 4 months and 18 months. A recent study by 

Actimel and Top Santé found that 75% of (all) women in their 

thirties are lucky to get 6 hours of sleep a night. 

Finally the current estimate is that 40% of police officers have 

sleep problems and that does not just mean insomnia, but 

some of the half dozen or so sleep disorders, such as sleep 

apnoea. 

Frightening isn’t it? 

Whilst the research in this area is evolving I will make sure 

the Force are aware of the implications of fatigue and look for 

ways to support you as we gain a better understanding of the 

implications. 

Mark Nigh 

Health & Safety Lead 



Tattoos 

Why the Federation didn’t support a cover up! 

It has always been the case that if a tattoo could be 

considered as offensive then it would be covered up 

when on duty, nobody would disagree that this was 

a sensible approach. However in recent months a 

decision was made by the outgoing Chief Constable, 

Alex Marshall that all tattoos would be covered up. 

At the time this decision was made Hampshire Police Federation 

objected to the decision for all of the reasons you would expect. 

Cost of purchasing extra-long sleeved tops, in modern society 

tattoos are far more common, inconsistency of uniform…The list 

went on! 

Unfortunately, despite our objections, operation ‘cover up’ was 

brought in. As soon as the policy was made public the email 

accounts at the Federation office went into melt down. It was 

clear this was a very unpopular decision. 

I don’t have a tattoo but I personally felt very strongly that this 

policy was wrong for many reasons. Police officers are members 

of the public, we are from diverse and different backgrounds and 

the bosses remind us of this all the time. There are a large number 

of ex-military in the service and it was almost a tradition that they 

would have some form of military tattoo. My old dad was in the 

Navy and he had a tattoo of the name of his last ship he served 

on tattooed on his lower arm, if anybody told him to cover it 

up I hope they could run fast! He would, like many ex-military 

personnel be insulted at the suggestion. 

Over the past few years tattoos have become a fashion statement 

with many younger people opting to have works of art tattooed 

on their bits and pieces. Officers who approached me have said 

that on many occasions their tattoos have been a talking point 

with detainees and youngsters. It is very clear that the public didn’t 

see police officers with visible tattoos as the horror story as some 

within the organisation did. 

The final but very important point was that this policy would cost 

the Constabulary money. The cost of the many 100’s of extra-long 

sleeved tops would have been an extra cost, which at a time of 

financial cuts seemed bonkers. 

With this information we approached the now new Chief 

Constable and outlined our concerns. It is fair to say that Mr 

Marsh understood our position and agreed to reverse the 

decision. This was a victory for common sense, and as part of the 

deal I promised not to reveal that Mr Marsh has a tattoo of the 

Liverpool Football Club crest on his chest! Ooops! 

John Apter 

Chairman 


Please note – the reference to the Chief Constable having a tattoo 

is a joke and intended for entertainment purposes only. 

20 


Date for 

your diary! 

This years Hampshire Police 

Federation open meeting will be 

held on Wednesday 9th October 

2013 at the Ageas Bowl near Hedge 

End. Further details will be circulated 

nearer the time.


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Pay 

A 1% pay award has been agreed for the 

Police this year. This is in line with the 

Government restraint on public sector pay. 

The Government has hinted that all public 

sector workers will receive a maximum 

1% pay increase each year for at least 2 if 

not 3 years. The award will take place in 

September 2013. 

22 

Short notice shift changes 

If you receive a short notice shift change (less than three months notice) then 

there must be an exigency of duty which necessitates the change. This is in Police 

Regulations which is legally enforceable. Unfortunately the regulations will not 

define what an exigency is so we rely on good old common sense and dictionary 

definitions. 

The view of the Police Federation is that an exigency of duty is an unforeseen 

event with an urgent and pressing need which could not have reasonably been 

planned for. 

There T 

ere are many situations which we would consider are NOT an exigency, this 

gives you an idea of some of the unacceptable reasons for short term shift changes; 

Christmas, New Year, to cover long term absence, pre planned events and festivals, 

Halloween…… 

In addition, we do not accept that poor planning is an exigency. 

As police officers we all fully accept and expect that unforeseen events will crop up 

and when that does occur we respond professionally and willingly. Sadly, there is a 

growing feeling amongst officers that the willingness and good will of police officers 

is being taken advantage of and many short notice duty changes do not comply 

with Police Regulations. 

If your shift is changed with short notice then our advice it to ask (nicely) what the 

exigency is. If you feel the rules are not being complied with please contact the 

Federation office. If necessary we will legally challenge if we feel Police Regulations 

are being ignored. 


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for our members and their families

Building bridges

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