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<br />
WEST MIDLANDS POLICE FEDERATION APRIL/MAY 2013<br />
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<strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong><br />
federation April/May<br />
2013<br />
Contents<br />
Chairman’s introduction 4 – 5<br />
Champions will help Force be efficient and effective 7<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong> officers want Fed to campaign for right to strike 9<br />
Independent review of <strong>Federation</strong> - let us know your views 10 - 11<br />
Tom Winsor to face <strong>Federation</strong> conference 13<br />
Viewpoint: What would you ask at conference 15, 16, 17<br />
No change to MPs’ pensions as officers’ contributions rise 18<br />
<strong>Federation</strong> chairman tackles MPs over pensions 19<br />
Winsor 2 - negotiations continue 20, 21, 23<br />
Axel’s life-saving skills recognised at Crufts 25<br />
Local news round-up 27<br />
Proposed sale of PHS: Have your say 29<br />
Check out our new website 30<br />
Officers urged to take part in College survey 30<br />
College of Policing scraps OSPRE II exams 31<br />
Estate planning specialists on hand to support members 33<br />
Can you help university research team 33<br />
National news round-up 34 - 35<br />
Advertisers<br />
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<strong>Police</strong> Insure, home, motor and motorcycle insurance 6<br />
Caroline Harris, specialist consultant money expert 8<br />
George Burrows, <strong>Federation</strong> insurance schemes 12<br />
PF Claimline 14<br />
<strong>Police</strong> Credit Union 22<br />
Linder Myers, conveyancing offer 23<br />
<strong>Police</strong> Mutual, ISAs 24<br />
RJW, part of Slater & Gordon, family law solicitors 26<br />
<strong>Police</strong> Healthcare Scheme 28<br />
First Call Financial, independent mortgage advice 30<br />
Gorvins, family law solicitors 31<br />
Warren & Co, independent mortgage advice 32<br />
Haix footwear 32<br />
Citroen Coventry 36<br />
Published by:<br />
XPR (UK) Ltd<br />
Editor:<br />
Ian Edwards, Chairman<br />
Deputy Editor:<br />
Claire Snape,<br />
Member Services Manager<br />
Claire@westmids.polfed.org<br />
Design and sub-editing:<br />
XPR (UK) Ltd<br />
Contact details:<br />
Guardians House,<br />
2111 Coventry Road,<br />
Sheldon, Birmingham,<br />
B26 3EA<br />
Telephone:<br />
0121 700 1100<br />
Email:<br />
westmidlandspf@polfed.org<br />
<strong>Federation</strong> is printed by<br />
Heron Press UK on behalf of the<br />
Joint Branch Board of the <strong>West</strong><br />
<strong>Midlands</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong>.<br />
The articles published do not<br />
necessarily reflect the views of<br />
the Joint Branch Board. The editor<br />
reserves the right to reject or edit<br />
any material submitted.<br />
Every care is taken to ensure that<br />
advertisements are accepted only<br />
from bona fide advertisers. The<br />
<strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong> cannot accept<br />
liability for losses incurred by any<br />
person as a result of a default on the<br />
part of an advertiser.<br />
All material is copyright and may<br />
not be reproduced without the<br />
express permission of the editor.<br />
Cover: Question time (Clockwise<br />
from the main picture of the<br />
Home Secretary) Theresa May, the<br />
<strong>Federation</strong> chairman, Steve Williams,<br />
police minister Damian Green and<br />
HMCIC Tom Winsor will all face<br />
questions at the national <strong>Police</strong><br />
<strong>Federation</strong> conference in May.<br />
www.westmidspolfed.com ‘Like’ us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter 3
We will continue to<br />
represent your views<br />
By Ian Edwards, chairman of <strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong><br />
<strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong><br />
As I so often do when thinking<br />
about these articles, I have just<br />
been looking back on the column<br />
I wrote for this magazine in April<br />
2012 to see how things have moved on.<br />
Back then, I was expressing my fears<br />
that the Winsor 2 report, which had just<br />
been published, had the potential to change<br />
policing for ever – and not for the better.<br />
Among my concerns was the plan to<br />
introduce compulsory redundancy for<br />
officers; an issue that is still hanging over us<br />
since a decision has been deferred until this<br />
July.<br />
On reading my column again, I find<br />
that my viewpoint has changed little. I still<br />
feel the two part report of Tom Winsor –<br />
now Chief Inspector at Her Majesty’s<br />
Inspectorate of Constabulary – could<br />
herald the end of our policing service as we<br />
know it.<br />
Everyone in policing is used to<br />
adapting. We have had to move with the<br />
times and to react to changes within<br />
society. However, I still feel many of the<br />
changes recommended by Winsor in his<br />
review of pay and conditions go way too far<br />
and fail to acknowledge our unique<br />
position in society or our status as servants<br />
of the Crown rather than employees. I<br />
make no apology for repeating what I said<br />
in April 2012:<br />
We are not employees. We swear<br />
allegiance to the Crown. We have<br />
restrictions placed on us and, as such, we<br />
have a unique status in society.<br />
It was this issue that led to the <strong>Police</strong><br />
<strong>Federation</strong> ballot throughout February in<br />
which members were asked if they wanted<br />
the national <strong>Federation</strong> to campaign for<br />
industrial rights for officers. The majority of<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong> members<br />
voted in favour of such a campaign.<br />
However, the <strong>Federation</strong>’s Joint Central<br />
Committee said it could only launch a<br />
campaign if more than half of its total<br />
membership of 133,108 voted in favour.<br />
And not even half (56,333) took part in the<br />
online poll – though 45,651 (81 per cent)<br />
did support seeking industrial rights.<br />
I would like to thank all our members<br />
who did take the time to vote. I understand<br />
4<br />
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“<br />
I would like to reassure you that we are doing<br />
everything we can to make sure that our members are<br />
treated fairly and we will continue to do so.<br />
that many of you will be disappointed by<br />
the result. However, please be assured that,<br />
regardless of the stance taken nationally, we<br />
can use the results of the ballot as part of<br />
our own lobbying of MPs and other<br />
stakeholders as we try to get your views<br />
across to key decision-makers.<br />
For instance, I have written to all our<br />
local MPs on the issue of pensions. As I am<br />
sure you are aware, police office pension<br />
contributions increased again from 1 April<br />
2013. Yet, just a couple of weeks before our<br />
increase came into effect, news came out<br />
that any increase to MPs’ own pension<br />
contributions had been suspended.<br />
Government ministers have talked<br />
repeatedly about fairness and we’ve all<br />
heard the ‘we’re all in this together’ mantra.<br />
But I cannot see the fairness in this and it<br />
really would appear that some of us are<br />
more in this than others. In my letter to the<br />
MPs, I referred to the number of officers<br />
within <strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong><br />
who had voted in favour of the <strong>Federation</strong><br />
seeking industrial rights for officers.<br />
Personally, I am not convinced that<br />
officers do actually want to strike but I<br />
believe that many feel their voice is not<br />
being heard. They are seeing their pay cut,<br />
their pensions going up, their conditions of<br />
service changing considerably and they are<br />
frustrated. They want to get on with the job<br />
they signed up to do, but they feel that<br />
their unique status is not being respected.<br />
They are prepared to put their lives on the<br />
line to protect the communities they serve,<br />
but their efforts, they feel, are not being<br />
recognised.<br />
I would like to reassure you that we are<br />
doing everything we can to make sure that<br />
our members are treated fairly and we will<br />
continue to do so.<br />
Turning back to my April 2012<br />
article, I had managed to offer a glimmer<br />
of hope at the end of the article. At that<br />
time, I had met with three of the<br />
potential candidates for the first <strong>Police</strong><br />
and Crime Commissioner elections<br />
scheduled for November 2012. As an<br />
aside, turn-out nationally for those<br />
elections was just 15 per cent.<br />
While I cannot recall which three<br />
potential candidates I had met at that stage,<br />
I did acknowledge that they seemed to<br />
understand the points I was making and<br />
seemed to want to engage with us.<br />
I would like to end with a similarly<br />
positive note this time and praise our <strong>Police</strong><br />
and Crime Commissioner for his efforts to<br />
improve policing in the <strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong><br />
and for engaging not just with the<br />
<strong>Federation</strong> but also the public.<br />
Mr Jones has just appointed a team of<br />
‘champions’, members of his Strategic<br />
Policing and Crime Board, who will take<br />
the lead in business areas such as Children<br />
and Young People, Business and<br />
Technology and New Media. Let’s hope we<br />
can benefit from their expertise in these<br />
areas. We wish them well.<br />
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Champions will help<br />
Force be efficient and<br />
effective<br />
By Bob Jones,<br />
<strong>Police</strong> and Crime<br />
Commissioner for the<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong><br />
I<br />
am pleased to<br />
announce new<br />
‘champion’ roles<br />
have been created<br />
to help make sure<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong> <strong>Police</strong> is as efficient and<br />
effective as possible.<br />
Seven newly appointed members of the<br />
Strategic Policing and Crime Board have<br />
been put into lead champion roles.<br />
These are:<br />
l Faye Abbot, who is governor at two<br />
primary schools and has professional<br />
experience relating to skills, training and<br />
professional engagement - Children and<br />
Young People.<br />
l Brendan Connor is currently chairman<br />
of CENEX plc and adviser to Imperial<br />
Innovations plc and Lyceum Capital plc -<br />
Business.<br />
l Judy Foster led on Equalities and<br />
Human Rights for <strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong> <strong>Police</strong><br />
Authority - Workforce.<br />
l Cath Hannon served for 32 years with<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong> <strong>Police</strong> and was recognised<br />
in 2010 with the <strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong><br />
Safeguarding Award for services to<br />
protecting children. Cath is currently a<br />
trustee for the Rape and Sexual Violence<br />
Project - Victims.<br />
l Ernie Hendricks worked in music and<br />
television before becoming a councillor, and<br />
has become well-known for his innovative<br />
approaches to community engagement and<br />
campaigning - Technology and New Media.<br />
l Mohammed Nazir is Chief Executive<br />
Officer with BME United Ltd which is a<br />
Third Sector ‘not for profit’ organisation -<br />
Diversity.<br />
l Tim Sawdon has been a councillor for<br />
39 years and has spent his working life as<br />
an ophthalmic optician in Coventry, and<br />
served for 10 years as a non-executive<br />
director of the University Hospital<br />
Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust -<br />
Health.<br />
The Strategic Policing and Crime<br />
Board needs to offer practical support and<br />
oversight to the Force in its efforts to<br />
reduce and detect crime. The Board is<br />
critical to maintaining links with local<br />
areas, holding the Force to account, and<br />
delivering the Policing and Crime Plan.<br />
The plan sets out ambitious milestones<br />
for reducing crime and protecting the<br />
public of the <strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong>, and we want<br />
to see people taking pride in our police.<br />
These objectives require co-ordination<br />
across many areas of policing activity,<br />
engagement with partners and a sustained<br />
commitment to listening and responding to<br />
the public.<br />
These champion roles are about making<br />
this happen. They are about making sure<br />
that <strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong> <strong>Police</strong> is as efficient<br />
and effective as possible, and exploits the<br />
skills and experience of the members of the<br />
Board.<br />
Unfortunately, my first open day had to<br />
be cancelled due to the unseasonal weather.<br />
The event, which was to be held at Lloyd<br />
House on Saturday 23 March was cancelled<br />
at the last minute due to weather warnings<br />
from the Met Office.<br />
Forecasts stated there would be heavy<br />
snowfall in Birmingham creating potential<br />
travel disruption and blizzard conditions<br />
and it just wouldn’t have been safe for it to<br />
go ahead.<br />
Both myself and deputy <strong>Police</strong> and<br />
Crime Commissioner Yvonne Mosquito<br />
were planning on attending. This event was<br />
all about breaking down the barriers<br />
between us at the PCC and members of<br />
the public. As I have said before, listening<br />
to the community is as the heart of my role<br />
as <strong>Police</strong> and Crime Commissioner and it<br />
would have been an ideal opportunity to<br />
get out there and meet the people who we<br />
are accountable to. Hopefully, another one<br />
can be arranged soon – along with some<br />
sunshine.<br />
Chief Constable Chris Sims and I are<br />
seeking an independent member to serve as<br />
the chair of the Joint Audit Committee.<br />
The Joint Audit Committee is the key to<br />
the delivery of effective governance,<br />
assurance, risk management and statutory<br />
financial duties. The closing date for<br />
applications is 15 April.<br />
Anyone can contact the casework team<br />
at the office on 0121 626 6060. The team<br />
can offer advice on policing and community<br />
safety matters to members of the public<br />
who are not sure who to contact.<br />
The public can also contact the PCC<br />
via www.westmidlands-pcc.gov.uk/<br />
contact-the-pcc. I also hold regular one to<br />
one surgery sessions at which members of<br />
the public can meet me face to face and<br />
have their say.<br />
www.westmidspolfed.com ‘Like’ us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter 7
Financial<br />
headaches<br />
George Burrows puts a high priority<br />
on the welfare of you and your family.<br />
We are here to provide members of the<br />
<strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong> with free advice on<br />
many issues which may arise throughout<br />
their police career and into retirement.<br />
Caroline Harris is our specialist consultant money<br />
expert. She has 25 years’ hands-on experience working<br />
alongside the <strong>Police</strong> Force, so takes a practical and<br />
unbiased view of what benefits are available to you.<br />
Add to this her knowledge of what is available outside<br />
the force and you have a true one stop shop approach.<br />
Of course, any conversations with Caroline about your<br />
future welfare are completely confidential. She can<br />
provide you with a full MOT of your circumstances<br />
and a step-by-step plan of recommendations.<br />
…free advice is just a phone call away<br />
For more information, or to book an<br />
appointment at the <strong>Federation</strong> office,<br />
simply call:<br />
0121 700 1100<br />
“<br />
Caroline came into my life with an air<br />
of calm and organisation.<br />
Helen Walker, <strong>Police</strong> Widow<br />
“<br />
Caroline's patience and advice<br />
was invaluable.<br />
Yvonne Williams, Retired <strong>Police</strong> Constable<br />
“<br />
“<br />
Officers will receive the highest standards<br />
of professional advice set in an atmosphere<br />
of reassurance, confidentiality, sensitivity and<br />
friendliness that Caroline always provides.<br />
Ivan Phillips, Retired <strong>Police</strong> Officer<br />
“<br />
“<br />
It could be one of the most rewarding<br />
calls you make all year!<br />
8<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong> is an Appointed Representative of Heath Lambert Limited<br />
and George Burrows is a trading name of Heath Lambert Limited which is authorised and<br />
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<strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong> officers<br />
want Fed to campaign<br />
for right to strike<br />
Amajority of members who voted<br />
in the national ballot want the<br />
<strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong> of England and<br />
Wales (PFEW) to campaign for<br />
industrial rights.<br />
In the <strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong>, 4,376 officers<br />
registered to vote out of a possible 7,651<br />
(45 per cent). And, of the officers who<br />
registered, 3,499 of them actually voted<br />
with 87.45 per cent voting in favour of<br />
PFEW campaigning for industrial rights.<br />
Just 12.55 per cent voted ‘no’.<br />
But, PFEW’s Joint Central Committee<br />
said it could only launch a campaign if<br />
more than half of its total membership of<br />
133,108 voted in favour. And not even half<br />
(56,333) took part in the online poll –<br />
though 45,651 (81 per cent) did support<br />
seeking industrial rights.<br />
Steve Williams, national <strong>Federation</strong><br />
chairman, said: “A significant proportion of<br />
our membership has indicated that they<br />
want the right to take industrial action.<br />
This highlights the pressures currently felt<br />
by rank and file officers throughout<br />
England and Wales.<br />
“However, it would not be appropriate<br />
to undertake a course of action that could<br />
potentially change the employment status<br />
of more than 133,000 police officers if<br />
fewer than half of those officers have voted<br />
for us to do so.<br />
“Our members value their unique<br />
employment status as servants of the crown<br />
(the Office of Constable), and I believe the<br />
vast majority of them would view industrial<br />
action as a last resort.<br />
“However, the significant number that<br />
voted in favour of the right to take<br />
industrial action have done so in response<br />
to the reforms and changes to policing<br />
which are being proposed and implemented<br />
by the Government, and the impact those<br />
changes are having on officers’ ability to do<br />
their jobs and on their morale.<br />
“We have a duty to take these views<br />
into consideration and will now discuss<br />
them within our Central Committee. I<br />
would like to take this opportunity to<br />
thank every officer who voted for playing<br />
their part in the process.”<br />
Officers from all Federated ranks<br />
(police constable to chief inspector) had the<br />
opportunity to take part in the online ballot<br />
which ran throughout February.<br />
They were asked the question: “Do you<br />
wish for PFEW to seek the right for the<br />
police officers to take industrial action”<br />
www.westmidspolfed.com ‘Like’ us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter 9
Independent review<br />
of <strong>Federation</strong> - let us<br />
know your views<br />
The panel has been announced and<br />
the review is about to begin. It is<br />
now time for <strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong> <strong>Police</strong><br />
<strong>Federation</strong> members to have their<br />
say on how the organisation operates.<br />
National <strong>Federation</strong> chairman Steve<br />
Williams announced before Christmas that<br />
an independent review panel would be<br />
appointed to look at the way the <strong>Federation</strong><br />
works.<br />
The panel will be chaired by Sir David<br />
Normington GCB. He is a former Home<br />
Office permanent secretary and more<br />
recently became the first civil service<br />
commissioner and commissioner for public<br />
appointments.<br />
On his appointment, Sir David said: “I<br />
am very pleased to have been asked by the<br />
<strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong> to chair this review.<br />
“The <strong>Federation</strong> has a proud history of<br />
representing and negotiating on behalf of<br />
rank and file police officers but, like all<br />
organisations, the environment it operates<br />
in is continually changing.<br />
“I look forward to working with the other<br />
members of the review - each of whom<br />
brings important experience and expertise -<br />
to shape the future of an organisation which<br />
is and will remain an important partner in<br />
ensuring both the welfare and the efficiency<br />
of the police service.”<br />
Sitting on the panel are:<br />
l Sir Denis O’Connor CBE QPM<br />
– former Chief Inspector of<br />
Constabulary. Sir Denis has extensive<br />
policing experience at a senior<br />
command level and experience of the<br />
inter-relationship between all ranks and<br />
policing bodies. He sits on the Board of<br />
the College of Policing, having been<br />
appointed to the role by the Home<br />
Secretary.<br />
On the panel: Brendan Barber – former<br />
general secretary of the TUC.<br />
l Professor Linda Dickens MBE<br />
– professor of industrial relations at the<br />
University of Warwick. Prof Dickens<br />
has an acknowledged and extensive<br />
record of academic research in the field<br />
of management and employment<br />
relations.<br />
l Brendan Barber – former general<br />
secretary of the Trades Union Congress<br />
(TUC) who retired last year. He brings<br />
extensive experience of representing<br />
employees and leading a national trade<br />
union organisation.<br />
l Kathryn Kane OBE – former chair of<br />
the <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong>’s Merseyside Joint<br />
Branch Board will be able to advise on<br />
<strong>Federation</strong> representation at both a<br />
force and regional level.<br />
l Dr Neil Bentley – CBI deputy director<br />
general and chief operating officer. Dr<br />
Bentley has an in-depth knowledge of<br />
the business community and a<br />
background in industrial relations,<br />
equality and diversity.<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong> now<br />
wants to hear the thoughts of its officers on<br />
how the <strong>Federation</strong> works.<br />
It is using the review as an opportunity<br />
to engage with members and ask for their<br />
views on the service the Fed officers.<br />
“We are looking to canvas the views<br />
and opinions of our members, with a view<br />
to providing subsequent input into the<br />
review of the <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong> of England<br />
and Wales,” says Chris Jones, secretary of<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong>.<br />
“This is our members’ chance to have a<br />
say on how they view the national<br />
<strong>Federation</strong> and the work they do. Members<br />
don’t often get the opportunity to feedback<br />
at a national level, but this is their chance.”<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong> is<br />
specifically asking:<br />
As a member, do you agree that, at a<br />
national level, the <strong>Federation</strong>:<br />
Is a credible voice for rank and file police<br />
officers<br />
Has the ability to constructively influence<br />
public policy on crime and policing<br />
Provides genuine ownership of the<br />
organisation by police officers and effective<br />
communications between members and the<br />
<strong>Federation</strong> at all levels<br />
Provides value for money in respect of<br />
police officers’ subscriptions to the <strong>Police</strong><br />
<strong>Federation</strong> of England and Wales<br />
Provides transparency of decision-making<br />
and subsequent action taken<br />
Members may also like to email their<br />
thoughts and views to<br />
westmidlandspf@polfed.org<br />
10<br />
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Chairman’s assurance on review<br />
The review chairman has reassured<br />
doubters that he will carry out an ‘open and<br />
transparent’ review in which there will be<br />
‘plenty of opportunity’ for rank and file<br />
officers to express their views.<br />
Sir David Normington GCB, said: “I<br />
want to reassure members of the<br />
<strong>Federation</strong> that everyone involved with the<br />
review is determined to ensure it is<br />
independent, open and transparent.<br />
“As chairman, I have been given no<br />
hidden instructions about the review and I<br />
wouldn’t have accepted them if I had.<br />
“I am also determined that there will be<br />
plenty of opportunity for all those with an<br />
interest in the <strong>Federation</strong> and the officers it<br />
represents to give their views to the review.<br />
It will take a little time for the review to<br />
get underway but when it is we will let you<br />
know how you can submit your views in<br />
writing or in person.”<br />
RSA appointed<br />
as secretariat<br />
The Royal Society for the Arts (RSA) has<br />
been appointed to act as the secretariat to<br />
the Independent Review.<br />
Announcing the decision, the <strong>Police</strong><br />
<strong>Federation</strong> of England and Wales said the<br />
RSA had a “unique reputation for high<br />
quality research and innovative practical<br />
projects which are both rigorous and<br />
completely independent”.<br />
Review’s aims<br />
The purpose of the review is to consider<br />
whether any changes are required to the<br />
<strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong>’s operation or structure<br />
so that it can continue to promote public<br />
good and represent the interests and<br />
welfare of its members and the efficiency<br />
of the police service.<br />
The review will look at what<br />
improvements are necessary to ensure<br />
PFEW:<br />
l Acts as a credible voice for rank and<br />
file police officers<br />
l Genuinely serves the public good as<br />
well as its members’ interests<br />
l Is able to influence public policy on<br />
crime and policing in a constructive<br />
manner<br />
l Is an example of organisational<br />
democracy and effective decisionmaking<br />
at its best allowing genuine<br />
ownership of the organisation by police<br />
officers and effective communication<br />
between members and the <strong>Federation</strong><br />
at all levels<br />
l Is recognised as a world class leader in<br />
employee voice.<br />
The review will deliver its recommendations<br />
to the chairman and general secretary of<br />
the <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong> of England and<br />
Wales. It will include:<br />
l Value for money in respect of police<br />
officers’ subscriptions to the PFEW<br />
l The unique position and<br />
responsibilities of the Office of<br />
Constable<br />
l The importance of enhancing public<br />
confidence in policing<br />
l The impact of its recommendations<br />
upon equality and diversity<br />
l Transparency of decision making<br />
and the subsequent action taken.<br />
The findings and recommendations will<br />
be released in a report by January 2014.<br />
www.westmidspolfed.com ‘Like’ us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter 11
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Tom Winsor to face<br />
<strong>Federation</strong> conference<br />
The agenda has yet to be released,<br />
but it is likely the most anticipated<br />
appearance at this year’s annual<br />
conference will be that of Tom<br />
Winsor.<br />
Mr Winsor, the new HM Chief<br />
Inspector of Constabulary and author of<br />
the review of police pay and conditions, has<br />
accepted an invitation to speak at the event,<br />
which is taking place in Bournemouth<br />
between May 14 and 16.<br />
The former rail regulator is not popular<br />
among rank and file officers after<br />
recommending huge changes to pay and<br />
conditions which have left many officers<br />
worse off.<br />
Having managed to avoid conference<br />
for the past two years, he will be speaking<br />
in front of hundreds of serving officers,<br />
many of whom will be angry and upset at<br />
what he has done to the police service.<br />
And Home Secretary Theresa May is<br />
also expected to attend despite being jeered<br />
and heckled at conference last year.<br />
Speaking in 2012 she told officers to<br />
‘stop pretending they were being picked on’.<br />
She said: “The cuts will be challenging,<br />
they will involve hard choices, but they are<br />
Tom Winsor.<br />
manageable and they are affordable. I know<br />
the Fed often say we’re singling out the<br />
police. But that simply isn’t true.”<br />
However, with the recent announcement<br />
that MPs’ pension increases were to be put<br />
on hold while officers’ increased, there is<br />
once again a feeling among many that police<br />
officers are being singled out and she could<br />
be in for a bumpy ride.<br />
The conference will begin on Monday<br />
afternoon (May 13) with the Women’s Eve<br />
of Conference meeting and there will be<br />
separate rank conferences on Tuesday<br />
morning.<br />
The main conference opens on Tuesday<br />
afternoon and Ms May will take the stand<br />
for her keynote speech on the Wednesday<br />
morning when conference delegates will be<br />
joined by hundreds of day visitors as<br />
observers.<br />
It is not yet known when Mr Winsor<br />
will address the delegates.<br />
Conference closes on Thursday<br />
afternoon with the annual general meeting.<br />
The slogan for this year’s event is “20|20<br />
Vision: Policing the Future Together.”<br />
Steve Williams, chairman of the <strong>Police</strong><br />
<strong>Federation</strong>,said: “I believe this slogan<br />
perfectly illustrates our desire to work with<br />
all key policing stakeholders to ensure the<br />
best possible future for the police service,<br />
our members and the general public.<br />
“We hope to use the conference as a<br />
platform to build lasting, mutuallybeneficial<br />
relationships.”<br />
A full agenda is expected to be<br />
announced shortly.<br />
A full report on this year’s <strong>Police</strong><br />
<strong>Federation</strong> conference will be published in<br />
the next edition of <strong>Federation</strong> magazine<br />
which is due out in June.<br />
www.westmidspolfed.com ‘Like’ us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter 13
On February 11th 2013<br />
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What will it mean to you<br />
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Advised the <strong>Federation</strong> nationally and locally on countless employment related matters. Helped 960<br />
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This year Slater & Gordon Lawyers will continue to do the same. Our commitment to the <strong>Police</strong><br />
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14<br />
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VIEWPOINT<br />
In a new magazine feature, we asked <strong>Federation</strong> members for their views on a key topical<br />
issue. It was announced at the latest meeting of the <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong>’s Joint Branch Board<br />
chairs and secretaries that at this year’s national conference, the Home Secretary Theresa<br />
May would only answer questions submitted in advance of her keynote speech and that Tom<br />
Winsor would not be answering questions about his two reports. Therefore, we asked some of<br />
our members the questions they would put to the Home Secretary, Mr Winsor and the<br />
<strong>Federation</strong>’s national chairman if they could.<br />
Tom Cuddeford<br />
Full-time <strong>Federation</strong> representative<br />
Deputy chair of the JBB<br />
25 years’ service<br />
Theresa May: When your Government came<br />
to power you said this country had the best<br />
police service in the world and you would fully<br />
support the police service. However, since this<br />
time, your Government has systematically cut<br />
the police budget and police numbers and<br />
morale is at its lowest it has ever been. Do you<br />
still consider us the best police service and<br />
have you reneged on your promise of<br />
supporting the police service<br />
The <strong>Police</strong> Minister: Don’t you think security<br />
should start at home Then why is the<br />
Overseas Aid budget ring-fenced and<br />
increasing, while cuts in policing mean less<br />
officers protecting our communities<br />
Tom Winsor: What are your thoughts on<br />
providing PCSOs with more ‘powers’, similar<br />
to the Office of Constable Is this just<br />
policing on the cheap<br />
The <strong>Federation</strong> chairman: What is your<br />
vision of the <strong>Federation</strong> in five years and 10<br />
years’ time<br />
DC Brent Di Cesare<br />
Economic Crime Team - Force CID<br />
9 years’ service<br />
I’m more than happy to provide plenty of<br />
questions to the persons mentioned, however,<br />
the main priority for myself and those<br />
colleagues around my level of service is a<br />
financial one. This “We’re in it together” myth<br />
that circulates Government, the public and<br />
even our own police service is becoming<br />
rather insulting now so I think this is a very<br />
relevant question to Theresa May, the <strong>Police</strong><br />
Minister, Tom Winsor and the <strong>Federation</strong><br />
chairman.<br />
With the current divide and conquer<br />
tactics working well within the police service<br />
we now have a situation whereby a police<br />
officer with nine years’ service who has faced<br />
no generic public sector pay rise for two years,<br />
no incremental pay rise for two years and<br />
pension contribution increases for the two<br />
years is in real terms down £500 a month.<br />
That’s not a misprint, £500 a month!<br />
With the Government announcing<br />
minimal yearly pay increases of one per cent -<br />
not even half of predicted inflation - and<br />
further increment freezes, coupled with<br />
further increases in pension contributions,<br />
how exactly does this Government and the<br />
<strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong> expect police officers to<br />
survive when they are losing up to £700 a<br />
month by 2015 And does it sit right with<br />
them that they are inflicting health<br />
threatening stress and anguish on those police<br />
officers and effectively subjecting them to<br />
financial ruin”<br />
Pete Harkness<br />
Wolverhampton<br />
9 years’ service<br />
Theresa May: You have stated you will always<br />
back us and fight us, but I am yet to see any<br />
evidence of that. I have had my pay<br />
increments frozen for the nearly three years,<br />
had my pension contributions increase twice<br />
in two years and had my SPP removed from<br />
me. Why am I, like other constables, being<br />
attacked I understand that we all have to<br />
make sacrifices in times of hardship but from<br />
my perspective I feel like hard-working<br />
constables are being attacked more than most.<br />
Tell me, why should I trust you<br />
The <strong>Police</strong> Minister: What are you going to<br />
do to increase the morale in the police service<br />
With all of the budget cuts, pay freezes,<br />
increase in pension contributions, your officers<br />
are feeling under-appreciated.<br />
Tom Winsor: Your report has been deemed<br />
by many to be the most destructive and<br />
divisive review into British policing since<br />
policing began. How are we meant to have<br />
trust and confidence in you as our<br />
inspectorate How can you, with little<br />
knowledge of what a police officer actually<br />
does, lead us into the future<br />
The <strong>Federation</strong> chairman: Why did you,<br />
without proper backing of your electorate,<br />
order an independent review into the <strong>Police</strong><br />
<strong>Federation</strong><br />
Jason Wathes<br />
Birmingham South<br />
19 years’ service<br />
The <strong>Federation</strong> chairman: What is the<br />
<strong>Federation</strong> doing to push for forces to<br />
produce accurate pension forecasts for those<br />
affected by the pension changes My Force<br />
tell me it’s ‘all up in the air, no one knows’.<br />
Officers need to know what their lump sums<br />
and likely pension will be. The pension<br />
calculator is too vague and doesn’t show lump<br />
sum. It has mortgage implications for many.<br />
Continued on Page 16<br />
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Continued from Page 15<br />
Mike Bradley<br />
Wolverhampton<br />
10 years’ service<br />
Theresa May and/or <strong>Police</strong> Minister: It is<br />
currently perfectly legal for anyone to swear at<br />
a police officer. This is because since R vs<br />
ORUM it has been deemed that officers<br />
cannot feel harassment, alarm or distress (as<br />
required by S5 or 4a Public Order) unless<br />
there are exceptional circumstances. Currently,<br />
officers who are sworn at need to find<br />
evidence that a member of the public has<br />
suffered harassment, alarm or distress. I would<br />
hope that you would agree that this is morally<br />
wrong and that something is done about it, for<br />
example, making it an offence for anyone to<br />
use threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour<br />
to a police officer/PCSO. Will you do<br />
something about it It would be nice to think<br />
that someone in Government is actually on<br />
our side.<br />
Daniel Halford<br />
Force CID<br />
10 years’ service<br />
David Cooper<br />
Professional Standards<br />
20 years’ service<br />
Andy Fleming<br />
Force CID<br />
16 years’ service<br />
1. Why in these austere times with massive<br />
cuts on police budgets do we still have 43<br />
Chief Constables and probably around 120<br />
DCCs and ACCs. SX (Colindale LPU) in the<br />
Met is run by a Commander and in terms of<br />
establishment is the 16th biggest police force<br />
in the country! How can the Home Office<br />
justify their wages at this time Collaboration<br />
does not produce the savings that<br />
regionalisation could.<br />
2. How does the College Of Policing justify<br />
having a “footprint” in London with all the<br />
costs associated with that, when its head office<br />
is Ryton<br />
3. As the Home Secretary is beating us with<br />
the “integrity” stick (and trust me it’s coming<br />
down the line), what is being done to address<br />
the lack of integrity of MPs (expenses scandal,<br />
Leverson Inquiry, Chris Huhne etc)<br />
16<br />
The police service has undergone<br />
unprecedented reforms to pay and conditions<br />
through the Winsor review, in addition,<br />
unprecedented public sector pension reforms<br />
through the Independent Public Service<br />
Pensions Commission (The Hutton Review),<br />
which represents a disproportionate<br />
disadvantage for police officers, when<br />
considering the current levels of employer<br />
contributions for main unfunded public<br />
service schemes and the Government’s<br />
proposed employer contributions. The<br />
reduction in employer contributions is over<br />
four times that faced by civil servants, teachers<br />
and NHS workers.<br />
How can these reforms be regarded as fair<br />
or even handed in the context of the ‘ring<br />
fencing’ of MPs’ pay and pensions Are MPs<br />
not also public servants and should they not<br />
also imminently be subject to the ‘fair’ reforms<br />
to pay and pensions<br />
Jonathan Jones<br />
Force CID<br />
18 years’ service<br />
I would like to ask what research has been<br />
commissioned by the Home Office which<br />
supports the notion that a normal pension age<br />
of 60 is likely to be achieved by most officers<br />
given the particular physical demands of our<br />
job<br />
This question is set in the context of the<br />
recent Dr Williams report commissioned by<br />
the Government with regard to normal<br />
pension age in the fire service.<br />
Home Secretary or <strong>Police</strong> Minister: If<br />
compulsory severance is implemented, will the<br />
Home Secretary/<strong>Police</strong> Minister guarantee<br />
that officers on the verge (i.e within five years)<br />
of being entitled for a pension (either at 25 or<br />
30 years) are not selected (as happened in the<br />
armed services cuts)<br />
Home Secretary or <strong>Police</strong> Minister: If<br />
compulsory severance is implemented, will<br />
police officers become employees and not<br />
Crown servants If not employees, how will<br />
officers be protected under current or new<br />
employment law<br />
Home Secretary or <strong>Police</strong> Minister: If<br />
compulsory severance is implemented for<br />
police officers, will there be an enhanced<br />
(above current civil service severance scheme)<br />
severance package offered to reflect the unique<br />
status of the Office of Constable to include a<br />
lump sum payment AND added extra<br />
contributions added onto pension entitlement<br />
(i.e five years) <br />
<strong>Federation</strong> chairman: If compulsory<br />
severance is implemented for police officers,<br />
will there be a second ballot on industrial<br />
rights for police officers<br />
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Paul Gwinnett<br />
e Forensics<br />
29 years’ service<br />
Would you yourself carry out your duties of<br />
protecting life and property (as shown by<br />
Officers in the riots of 2011) when you face a<br />
risk of being injured, restricted and being<br />
made redundant, when there are no<br />
guarantees in place of being protected against<br />
loss of income, mortgage and family home<br />
Sally Holmes<br />
Force Contact<br />
18 years’ service<br />
Do you think that the Home Office is fooling<br />
itself with reporting on the same crime figures<br />
now as in the 1970s - BDH, car crime and<br />
robbery<br />
Do we not need to reflect changes within<br />
organised criminality to prioritise and report<br />
on matters such as trafficking (always treated<br />
as an aside, not among primary crime data),<br />
prostitution (to encourage forces to take a<br />
proactive stance on the seedier side of the<br />
plethora of lap dancing clubs), cannabis farms<br />
and illegal labour. At present, the general<br />
public can see these activities all around them,<br />
yet they do not feature as Force priorities, in<br />
even the Metropolitan Forces. Organised<br />
crime gangs have moved on but we have<br />
failed to keep up!<br />
PC Khan<br />
Birmingham <strong>West</strong> & Central<br />
4 years’ service<br />
Tom Winsor and Theresa May:<br />
1. In light of the current financial climate, why<br />
is it that police officers are having to pay more<br />
into their pension and had restricted or no<br />
payments for the rate of inflation, when the<br />
MPs seem to have a gold-plated pension and<br />
aren’t being affected Surely an increase in<br />
pension payments was meant for all public<br />
sector workers<br />
2. The current morale of officers is low, as we<br />
are being treated unfairly. We have no clarity<br />
on what is going to happen to officers’ pay<br />
once the job-related incremental freeze is over.<br />
As you would have saved two years’ worth of<br />
payments, are we going to jump up to what<br />
we by right should be on or are you going to<br />
mock us further<br />
Dean Woodcock<br />
Birmingham East<br />
15 years’ service<br />
As we the police service have all taken a ‘hit’<br />
with our pension contributions and end result,<br />
are the panel taking an equal part in our<br />
country’s recovery and increasing their<br />
pension contribution and receiving less at the<br />
end of their service<br />
Dan Lagorio<br />
9 years’ service<br />
How is it fair that I pay about £400 a month<br />
into my pension for an extra 10 years, totalling<br />
£48,000, to receive £50,000 less than I was<br />
expecting at the end of my service In effect, I<br />
am having to pay the Government £100,000<br />
to work for another decade.<br />
Mark Hickman<br />
Birmingham South<br />
17 years’ service<br />
Tom Winsor: On morning TV, Winsor said<br />
that the pay gaps between officers was too<br />
wide. He used the example of two officers<br />
being threatened with a knife and dealing<br />
with the incident. He pointed out that the pay<br />
of the officers could be considerably different.<br />
The range could now be, say from £20k to<br />
£37k. The reforms that he proposed have done<br />
nothing to close that gap and, in fact, with the<br />
lower starting salaries have widened the gap.<br />
Why did he say that that was his intention<br />
Secondly, why has rent or housing<br />
allowance been allowed to remain How can<br />
it be fair to give officers that extra money for<br />
doing the same job. It reinforces the notion<br />
that Winsor has not been fair in his proposals<br />
and has done nothing really to close the gap<br />
between officers pay scale like he said that he<br />
would.<br />
Pete Rowe<br />
Sandwell<br />
25 years’ service<br />
I think my question to them all would be<br />
given no doubt further spending cuts to police<br />
budgets - when do they think forces will start<br />
meaningful recruitment and, in the absence of<br />
such, how will policing cope with the<br />
three-year and increasing void of no new<br />
recruits<br />
Deb Valentine<br />
Lloyd House<br />
I would like to know what happens to<br />
part-time officers and officers who have taken<br />
unpaid maternity leave in the pension<br />
calculations<br />
Are part-time workers going to be<br />
discriminated against as their full pension date<br />
is extended due to their hours of work Is the<br />
pension calculation date going to be the end<br />
of 30 years’ service as if they were full-time or<br />
when they reach 30 full pensionable years on<br />
part-time hours<br />
What about unpaid maternity leave Will<br />
that be taken into account as before a date in<br />
time this was only applicable to women<br />
PC Cunnion<br />
Birmingham East<br />
I feel the Government is constantly taking<br />
liberties what with our pay, pensions and<br />
conditions. I don’t know if it would be<br />
acceptable to raise the question about working<br />
the 30 minutes for Queen and country for<br />
nothing. I believe we are the only organisation<br />
that do this. I feel that this is a little outdated<br />
now.<br />
www.westmidspolfed.com ‘Like’ us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter 17
No change to MPs’<br />
pensions as officers’<br />
contributions rise<br />
<strong>Police</strong> officer pension contributions<br />
increased on 1 April – just weeks<br />
after it was announced MPs would<br />
not have to pay more into their<br />
pension pots for the time being.<br />
As of 1 April, members of the <strong>Police</strong><br />
Pension Scheme will see their contributions<br />
go up by 1.25 per cent to 13.5 per cent<br />
while those in the New <strong>Police</strong> Pension<br />
Scheme will be paying 11.5 per cent, an<br />
increase of one per cent.<br />
Yet, a rise in MPs’ own pension<br />
contributions has been deferred.<br />
Steve White, <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong> of<br />
England and Wales vice-chair, said when<br />
increases affecting both police pension<br />
schemes were confirmed by the Home<br />
Office: “The increases to police officer<br />
pension contributions confirmed by the<br />
Government are unjustified and<br />
unaffordable for our members.<br />
“<strong>Police</strong> officers already pay a higher<br />
contribution rate than the majority of other<br />
public sector workers on comparable<br />
salaries.<br />
“It is extremely disappointing that<br />
Government has seen fit to implement<br />
these increases a week after it was decided<br />
that a rise in MPs’ own pension<br />
contributions is to be deferred.”<br />
Nest egg<br />
“<br />
It<br />
is extremely disappointing that Government has<br />
seen fit to implement these increases a week after it<br />
was decided that a rise in MPs’ own pension<br />
contributions is to be deferred.<br />
18<br />
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<strong>Federation</strong> chairman<br />
tackles MPs over pensions<br />
On the back of the pension<br />
announcement, <strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong> <strong>Police</strong><br />
<strong>Federation</strong> chairman Ian Edwards has<br />
written to local MPs outlining the<br />
unfairness and asking them to represent<br />
the views of members during any future<br />
debates on further cuts to policing.<br />
He writes:<br />
I am writing this letter to thank you for all<br />
the support you have given to <strong>West</strong><br />
<strong>Midlands</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong> and its<br />
members – the rank and file police officers of<br />
the region – over the last two years; two<br />
years that have been particularly<br />
challenging for the police service.<br />
With the effects of the Winsor Report<br />
starting to be felt by our members, we are all<br />
doing our best to keep up with the fast pace<br />
of reform while enduring a pay freeze, a<br />
halt on incremental pay progression, changes<br />
to our conditions of service and a significant<br />
reduction in our numbers, bringing us down<br />
to an 11-year low.<br />
Our members joined up to provide an<br />
effective policing service for the communities<br />
they serve. They are engaged in fighting and<br />
preventing crime, protecting the vulnerable<br />
and keeping order. They do this day in, day<br />
out, often putting their own lives on the<br />
line. In return for the unique place they hold<br />
in society, they expect to be treated fairly by<br />
Government.<br />
Sadly, many members of <strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong><br />
<strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong> do not currently feel that is<br />
the case. They cite, as an example, the fact that<br />
officers serving in Scotland and the <strong>Police</strong><br />
Service of Northern Ireland are being paid<br />
substantially higher wages than rank and file<br />
officers in England and Wales.<br />
But, I am afraid, it is the issue of their<br />
pension that is causing most concern. At the<br />
start of April, officers face an increase in their<br />
pension contributions – members of the <strong>Police</strong><br />
Pension Scheme will see their contributions go<br />
up by 1.25 per cent to 13.5 per cent while<br />
those in the New <strong>Police</strong> Pension Scheme will<br />
be paying 11.5 per cent, an increase of one per<br />
cent. They have listened to several senior<br />
politicians talk of the need for us all to play our<br />
part in tackling the country’s economic climate.<br />
I believe police officers accept that they do need<br />
to play their part; to take their share of the<br />
pain. However, just as they prepare to pay<br />
more into their pensions, they hear that plans<br />
to increase MPs’ own pension contributions<br />
have been suspended. How does this sit with<br />
the ‘we are all in this together’ mantra of the<br />
Government Can officers reasonably be<br />
expected conclude that this is fair<br />
Last May, I sat with other <strong>Police</strong><br />
<strong>Federation</strong> delegates at the national conference<br />
in Bournemouth when the Home Secretary<br />
Theresa May told officers to ‘stop pretending<br />
they were being picked on’. She said: “The cuts<br />
will be challenging, they will involve hard<br />
choices, but they are manageable and they<br />
are affordable. I know the Fed often say<br />
we’re singling out the police. But that<br />
simply isn’t true.” I would now argue that<br />
officers would believe those words more<br />
easily if MPs were also facing increases to<br />
their pensions since this would clearly<br />
illustrate that we are all in this together.<br />
But instead officers feel that they are not<br />
being treated fairly and that with recent<br />
reforms making them more like employees<br />
than servants of the Crown they should<br />
have the same rights and protections as<br />
other workers. In a national ballot<br />
conducted by the <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong> of<br />
England and Wales, 3,060 <strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong>,<br />
officers – representing 87.45 per cent of<br />
those who voted – wanted the <strong>Federation</strong><br />
to pursue industrial rights. I believe this<br />
shows how strongly officers feel about how<br />
they are being treated.<br />
Finally, I would just like to repeat my<br />
thanks to you for your support over the last<br />
few years and hope that you can help<br />
represent the views of my members during<br />
any future debates on further cuts to<br />
policing, more increases to our pensions and<br />
other measures that will disproportionately<br />
affect the country’s police officers.<br />
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Winsor 2 - negotiations<br />
continue<br />
By Gary Nuttall<br />
Information & Research Officer<br />
T: 0121 700 1100<br />
The following recommendations are some of<br />
those currently being discussed at the <strong>Police</strong><br />
Negotiating Board (PNB) and the Home<br />
Secretary has put a date of 24 July 2013 for<br />
agreement to be reached.<br />
In addition to Tom Winsor, the principal<br />
author of this review, Sir Edward Crew, QPM<br />
and Professor Richard Disney, Professor of<br />
Labour Economics, acted as advisers.<br />
Professor Disney compiled research and<br />
conducted analysis to support the review.<br />
l Recommendation 55 – Pay Points 6, 7,<br />
and 9 should be removed from the<br />
existing constables’ pay scale in April 2014,<br />
2015, and 2016 respectively. This will<br />
allow constables to move to the maximum<br />
more quickly and ensure that the current<br />
and new pay scales merge in 2016.<br />
l Recommendation 56 – Pay Point 0 of the<br />
current sergeants’ pay scale should be<br />
removed from April 2014 to ensure that<br />
sergeants are always paid more than<br />
constables, consistent with the greater<br />
responsibilities of the job.<br />
l Recommendation 71 – The deployment<br />
component of the police officer ‘X Factor’<br />
should be established to be eight per cent<br />
of basic pay for constables. For other<br />
ranks, it should be expressed in cash terms,<br />
benchmarked at eight per cent of the<br />
maximum of constables’ basic pay.<br />
l Recommendation 84 – Pay progression<br />
for officers in the Federated ranks should<br />
be subject to a satisfactory box marking in<br />
the annual appraisal. Those officers who<br />
receive a box marking of ‘satisfactory<br />
contribution’ or above should advance by<br />
one pay increment; those who receive an<br />
‘unsatisfactory contribution’ box marking<br />
should remain on the same pay point for a<br />
further year. This should be introduced for<br />
sergeants, inspectors and chief inspectors<br />
in 2014/15 and for constables in 2015/16.<br />
Relationship between the pay scales on the<br />
Federated ranks<br />
Winsor believes the difference between<br />
constable and sergeant pay should increase<br />
(not by reducing the constable salary). He<br />
believes the difference between sergeant and<br />
inspector is about right as is the difference<br />
between chief inspector and superintendent.<br />
Winsor sets the scene with the following:<br />
‘The basic structures of the present system of police<br />
officer pay were established in 1920. Pay scales are<br />
long and in most cases there is no appreciable link<br />
between pay and competence or the acquisition of<br />
new skills. A new approach is needed for both<br />
police officers and staff that replaces a culture of<br />
entitlement on the basis of time-service with one<br />
which recognises skills and professionalism. Such a<br />
step would be radical, but it is overdue, and will<br />
lead to a better service for the public and better<br />
value for taxpayers.’<br />
Recruitment and retention<br />
The principal purpose of pay is to provide<br />
sufficient reward to recruit and retain officers<br />
of the right quality.<br />
In his economic analysis for this report<br />
and its predecessor (Part 1), Professor Disney<br />
has found that the police service does not<br />
have any recruitment difficulties and has not<br />
had serious difficulties in that respect for<br />
many years. In support of this view, the<br />
Institute for Fiscal Studies found that officers<br />
have one of the lowest rates of departure from<br />
public sector employment.<br />
Disney then compared officer pay to other<br />
emergency occupations and comparable ranks<br />
in the armed forces. According to this<br />
comparison, constables and sergeants on<br />
average earn 10 to 15 per cent more than<br />
other emergency occupations.<br />
Winsor then goes on to review and<br />
comment on the current spinal points for<br />
constables and specifically on the legality of<br />
lengthy spinal pay points as a method of<br />
reward. Winsor cites employment tribunal<br />
case law that potentially outlaws lengthy<br />
spinal points as gender based discrimination<br />
can result.<br />
Winsor outlines and reviews the pay<br />
structures and pay rates of other public sector<br />
workers, notably nurses, teachers and prison<br />
officers.<br />
In support of his review Winsor has also<br />
used police Activity Analysis surveys from<br />
2003 to 2008, as well as crime recording and<br />
incident data.<br />
Winsor’s conclusions on pay<br />
Basic pay for the Federated ranks is a critical<br />
issue. The Federated ranks make up a very<br />
significant majority of the police officer<br />
workforce, and their pay accounts for<br />
approximately 98 per cent of the police officer<br />
salary bill. The Federated ranks are, of course,<br />
central to the success of policing in England<br />
and Wales. The history of police pay shows<br />
that when basic pay is set at the wrong level, it<br />
can cause recruitment and retention<br />
difficulties which damage the service provided<br />
to the public, as well as the morale of police<br />
officers.<br />
My overall views on basic pay for the<br />
Federated ranks are summarised below:<br />
l The constables’ pay scale should be made<br />
shorter, so as better to reflect the length of<br />
time over which increases in experience<br />
lead to improvements in competence;<br />
l The constables’ pay scale should start at a<br />
lower rate than present, but officers should<br />
move more quickly to the maximum;<br />
l Pay progression in all ranks should be on<br />
the basis of satisfactory contribution and<br />
the demonstration of the acquisition of<br />
the necessary skills, knowledge and<br />
experience;<br />
l The pay of sergeants, inspectors and chief<br />
inspectors is at the correct levels and<br />
should be maintained at those levels;<br />
l There should be gaps between the pay<br />
scales of each of the Federated ranks to<br />
reflect the increased responsibilities<br />
undertaken at each successively higher<br />
rank (i.e. no overlap and genuine reward<br />
for additional responsibility).<br />
Having listened to the <strong>Federation</strong> and<br />
Superintendents’ Association, Winsor<br />
20<br />
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concludes six years is an appropriate<br />
timeframe for a constable to achieve full<br />
competence in that rank.<br />
Constables’ basic pay<br />
Winsor recommends the number of<br />
constables’ spinal points is reduced.<br />
Winsor then comments on his terms of<br />
reference including the necessity for fairness<br />
to the taxpayer, officers and staff and that pay<br />
restraint will allow the retention of overall<br />
numbers. Prof Disney’s evidence suggests that<br />
in some parts of the country constables are<br />
paid more than necessary to attract and retain<br />
officers of the right calibre.<br />
Winsor argues there are four ways to<br />
restrain the cost of employing constables:<br />
reduce the minimum pay on the scale<br />
(important to recruitment), reduce the<br />
maximum pay on the scale (important to<br />
retention), reduce the rate of progression up<br />
the scale or reduce the number of constables<br />
who progress up the scale.<br />
Winsor does say now is not the time to<br />
reduce the maximum rate of constables’ basic<br />
pay. Winsor cites the current economic<br />
situation, the potential for de-motivation and<br />
financial pressures as the rationale for this<br />
decision. However, Winsor also ‘warns’ of<br />
recommendations around a new pay body and<br />
further reviews, including maximum pay is<br />
‘hard to justify in those areas of the UK with<br />
less competitive labour markets’.<br />
Constables’ skills<br />
ACPO has made the case for police pay<br />
being reformed to reflect the acquisition of<br />
skills.<br />
Winsor agrees that the pay structure<br />
should reward an individual who acquires<br />
and uses new skills that allow him to make a<br />
greater contribution to the service. Pay<br />
progression which is linked to competent<br />
performance and continuous professional<br />
development will help to end the culture of<br />
entitlement whereby officers are paid more<br />
for simply having served another year.<br />
Winsor also recommends a Foundation<br />
Skills Threshold test which is designed to<br />
ensure constables have mastered the basic<br />
skills of policing at a mid-point in the pay<br />
scale and that further pay progression will<br />
depend on successful completion. A second<br />
more stringent test, the Specialist Skills<br />
Threshold test, would allow access to the<br />
final pay point but will not apply to all roles.<br />
Winsor’s constables’ pay scales would<br />
start at £19,000 at the point of recruitment<br />
and progress to the current upper limit,<br />
£36,519 in six years after completion of the<br />
probationary period, the Foundation Skills<br />
Threshold test and the Specialist Skills<br />
Threshold test. As not all roles will attract<br />
the Specialist Skills Threshold and associated<br />
enhanced pay that would,in effect, cap some<br />
constables’ pay at £31,032.<br />
Recruits that obtain a pre-entry<br />
qualification would start at a higher point on<br />
the scale. Progression will also depend on<br />
competence assessed at PDR.<br />
Winsor expects the new <strong>Police</strong><br />
Professional Body to establish the curricula<br />
and test for the Specialist Skills Threshold test<br />
and for the Foundation Skills Threshold test<br />
and expects the tests to be in place for 2018<br />
and 2015 respectively.<br />
Sergeants’ pay scale<br />
Winsor applies the same principles of fairness<br />
to sergeants’ pay and uses Prof Disney’s<br />
research to suggest sergeants’ are paid more<br />
than ‘white collar’ professionals’ with formal<br />
educational qualifications. Winsor also points<br />
out there is no evidence of recruitment or<br />
retention problems at the sergeant rank.<br />
Winsor does not recommend reducing<br />
sergeants’ pay for two reasons; firstly as<br />
sergeants’ pay is butt ended with that of<br />
constables any reduction would result in<br />
sergeants being paid less than some<br />
constables. Secondly, Winsor believes it is<br />
important sergeants ‘take on a greater<br />
management and leadership role within the<br />
police service’.<br />
Sergeants’ pay scales will also have a<br />
Specialist Skills Threshold and this should<br />
reflect the ‘skills, knowledge and experience<br />
acquired over three years of professional<br />
development in rank’.<br />
Winsor recommends Pay Point 0 for<br />
sergeants is removed and that the new pay<br />
review body considers increasing the pay<br />
differential between constable and sergeant to<br />
reflect the line management and leadership<br />
responsibilities.<br />
So, the number of spinal points will be<br />
reduced and time-based progression will be<br />
replaced by contribution-related pay<br />
progression.<br />
My observations and comment on pay scales<br />
The <strong>Federation</strong> appears to be a lone voice<br />
arguing for incremental scales based on length<br />
of service. All the other contributors argue for<br />
competence or contribution-related pay.<br />
While I understand the principle, I<br />
believe there are inherent dangers when<br />
officers are paid differently. Contributionrelated<br />
pay will end discretion. What gets<br />
counted gets done. If officers are paid more to<br />
make arrests or issues tickets that is exactly<br />
what will happen and that will increase the<br />
risk of alienating the public.<br />
NIM business principles only work if we<br />
effectively collect the ‘I’, i.e. intelligence. The<br />
public only supply intelligence if there is trust<br />
and confidence in the police. If the public are<br />
arrested for every minor infringement of the<br />
law the flow of intelligence is put at risk. The<br />
knock-on effect is a reduced ability to tackle<br />
Level 2, serious and organised crime.<br />
Contribution-related pay could<br />
undermine our ability to tackle the greatest<br />
harm causers.<br />
Quantifying the officer ‘X Factor’<br />
In Chapter 5, it is recommended that officers<br />
who are not deployable and are not capable of<br />
undertaking a role requiring the office of<br />
constable should lose the ‘X Factor’ from their<br />
salary. This section defines the ‘X Factor’ and<br />
quantifies its deployment element, arriving at<br />
a recommendation for the amount of salary<br />
that should be withdrawn from officers who<br />
cannot be deployed to any role requiring the<br />
use of police powers.<br />
In his report, Winsor recommends the<br />
proportion of officer basic pay that<br />
compensates for the deployment and danger<br />
elements of the ‘X Factor’ and that should be<br />
withdrawn from the minority of officers who<br />
will not be able to pass the test regarding<br />
deployment into dangerous situations. In<br />
2010/2011, 6,137 officers were on restricted<br />
duties so that is the maximum number of<br />
officers who would be affected.<br />
Winsor acknowledges all the other<br />
elements of the ‘X Factor’ apply to all officers<br />
regardless of restriction and only those<br />
elements of the ‘X Factor’ that are affected by<br />
a restriction should be withdrawn. The<br />
purpose of quantifying the deployment and<br />
danger elements of the ‘X Factor’ is to<br />
establish how much can be withdrawn from<br />
these officers.<br />
As the danger and deployment elements<br />
are the only elements of the ‘X Factor’ that<br />
can be withdrawn, those are the only elements<br />
to which Winsor attaches a specific monetary<br />
value.<br />
Winsor then uses Prof Disney’s research<br />
to quantify the deployment ‘X Factor’ of eight<br />
per cent of a constables’ basic pay.<br />
Currently, eight per cent of the current<br />
maximum constables’ pay is £2,922 and<br />
Winsor recommends that amount is<br />
withdrawn from all officers who cannot meet<br />
the test set out in Chapter 5 of his report.<br />
Chapter 5 initially refers to the recruit<br />
fitness test, ‘5:4 in the shuttle run,<br />
Continued on Page 22<br />
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Continued from Page 21<br />
demonstrating their level of endurance and<br />
they should also be able to push 34 kilograms<br />
and pull 35 kilograms to demonstrate their<br />
dynamic strength’. Winsor later makes<br />
reference to the more stringent PSNI fitness<br />
test but suggests 2018 as an implementation<br />
date.<br />
Winsor does say the ‘X Factor’ should be<br />
pensionable so if an officer cannot pass the<br />
test and has the deployment ‘X Factor’<br />
withdrawn that will affect their pension.<br />
My observations and comments<br />
Winsor comments that the public would be<br />
surprised that officers do not have an annual<br />
fitness test. Well, the simple truth is, until<br />
now, we have not. The majority of us that are<br />
able to do so keep ourselves fit.<br />
The implementation of an annual fitness<br />
test will cause significant anxiety for some<br />
officers, most notably the 6,000 plus officers<br />
currently on restricted duties. Not only will<br />
there be a financial impact attached to failure<br />
of a fitness test but Chapter 5 also links fitness<br />
test failure to discipline and UPP. Please<br />
remember, these are only recommendations at<br />
this time.<br />
Winsor and the Government need to<br />
recognise some officers will not be able to pass<br />
the fitness test through no fault of their own<br />
and some will not pass as a direct result of<br />
injuries sustained in the line of duty. I smile<br />
when Winsor suggests greater use of ill-health<br />
retirements, isn’t that the opposite of the last<br />
five years<br />
I believe it is highly likely some elements<br />
of Winsor proposals could be subject of legal<br />
challenge under the Disability Discrimination<br />
Act and gender-based discrimination<br />
legislation.<br />
My observations and Winsor’s review of<br />
appraisals<br />
Winsor aims to improve the fairness of pay<br />
progression by linking it to competent<br />
performance and, rather than incentivising<br />
high performers with monetary rewards, he<br />
recommends addressing poor performers. The<br />
<strong>Federation</strong> believes all appraisal of<br />
performance must be linked to a ‘robust,<br />
transparent and fair’ appraisal system.<br />
I absolutely agree with, and support, a fair,<br />
robust and transparent appraisal system,<br />
especially as that now takes on greater<br />
significance if pay progression is linked to it.<br />
Winsor then goes on to review and<br />
comment on the failure of appraisal systems<br />
historically, up to and including the ICF. I<br />
agree most appraisal systems are poor and far<br />
too bureaucratic and if pay progression is<br />
linked to appraisal then the process must<br />
improve. Winsor believes the new NPIA<br />
appraisal system is a ‘useful development’ and<br />
would ‘serve as an effective foundation’ for pay<br />
progression.<br />
Winsor emphasises the importance of<br />
managers being properly trained in the use of<br />
appraisal and that managers should be<br />
supported by senior officers.<br />
Winsor believes in a comparative process<br />
(forced distribution) whereby officers are<br />
assessed in one of three categories:<br />
l High performers – the top 10 per cent,<br />
these officers should be considered for<br />
intensive development programmes.<br />
l Effective – the middle 80 per cent of the<br />
distribution. Competent officers who<br />
make up the bulk of the workforce.<br />
l Less effective – the bottom 10 per cent<br />
and, other than in exceptional<br />
circumstances, UPP should be considered<br />
for these officers.<br />
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Your savings Your investments Your car insurance Your home insurance Your retirement Your mortgage service Your welfare Your <strong>Police</strong> Mutual<br />
24<br />
<strong>Police</strong> Mutual Assurance Society Limited is an incorporated friendly society authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.<br />
Registered Office: Alexandra House, Queen Street, Lichfield, Staffordshire WS13 6QS. For your security, all telephone calls are recorded and may be monitored.<br />
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0313
Axel’s life-saving skills<br />
recognised at Crufts<br />
A<br />
German shepherd police dog bred<br />
and trained by the Force’s dog<br />
section won a Humanitarian Action<br />
Award at Crufts, the world’s leading<br />
dog show.<br />
Axel is now working in Fife and was<br />
given the award after leading his handler on a<br />
four-hour track to find a woman who was<br />
missing after falling down a 60 feet ravine in a<br />
remote wood.<br />
“I am really pleased to hear that Axel is<br />
doing so well and that his skills have been<br />
recognised in this way,” says Dave Raymond,<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong> <strong>Police</strong> dog trainer.<br />
“He was 18 months old when he left here<br />
but was already showing great qualities as a<br />
working dog. He loved chasing, was incredibly<br />
focused and could pick up and follow a scent.<br />
That said, it sounds like the track to find this<br />
lady was incredible. In those four hours, he<br />
would have covered some distance.<br />
“We would have liked to have kept him<br />
here as part of our team but at the point<br />
where he had completed his training and was<br />
ready to go out on operational duties all our<br />
dog handlers had dogs. Having passed him on<br />
to another force, it is great that he has become<br />
such an asset to them.”<br />
Axel and his handler, PC Craig Menzies,<br />
Hero Axel as a puppy.<br />
were presented with their award on the<br />
closing day of Crufts which was held at the<br />
NEC in Birmingham from 7 to 10 March.<br />
<strong>Police</strong> said that the missing woman, a<br />
58-year-old walker, may not have survived if<br />
Axel had not led them to her. He followed her<br />
scent after his handler found her umbrella on<br />
a coastal path.<br />
Axel took him over a golf course, through<br />
a swollen stream and to bushes where the<br />
woman’s cries for help were heard.<br />
Axel was bred out of the dog section’s<br />
main stud dog, Tag.<br />
“Tag has an impeccable temperament and<br />
is a very effective and efficient working dog.<br />
He’s passed on these attributes to his<br />
offspring, with more than 100 dogs he has<br />
sired now working as operational police dogs,<br />
helping officers fight crime, control<br />
disturbances and find missing people,” says<br />
Dave Raymond.<br />
The Force has the largest police dog<br />
breeding scheme in the UK and more than 80<br />
per cent of the dogs put through the training<br />
programme go on to become operational<br />
police dogs.<br />
Puppy walkers wanted!<br />
With three new litters due and one born at the training centre in the last month, the<br />
team are now looking for puppy walkers to give the pups a good home for up to six<br />
months. If you think you have what it takes to care for one of these playful puppies,<br />
please contact <strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong> <strong>Police</strong> Dog Training Centre on 0345 113 5000.<br />
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Local news round-up<br />
Officers urged to take part in stress survey<br />
Officers are being reminded to take part in<br />
stress survey which will be rolled out soon.<br />
A similar survey was conducted last<br />
year and the results of the two will be<br />
compared to see if there have been any<br />
improvements to officer stress levels.<br />
The 2012 survey, designed to find out<br />
how ongoing changes to policing are<br />
affecting officers, revealed that many are<br />
suffering from increased stress levels due to<br />
lack of communication and consultation<br />
surrounding change.<br />
The online questionnaire was<br />
completed by a total of 2,026 officers who<br />
answered questions on seven aspects of<br />
work including demands, control, peer<br />
support, managerial support and change.<br />
More than half of the <strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong><br />
<strong>Police</strong> officers who responded to the survey<br />
reported they were already above the<br />
threshold for burn-out, increasing their<br />
sickness levels, exposing them to risks at<br />
work and affecting their ability to provide<br />
an effective service to the public.<br />
Chris Jones, secretary of <strong>West</strong><br />
<strong>Midlands</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong> said: “Please<br />
take the time to fill in this survey so we can<br />
see if things have improved one year on.<br />
We need to know if officers are still feeling<br />
as stressed as they were, if things are still<br />
the same or, in fact worse.<br />
“With the results of the first survey<br />
having been analysed, we will have a<br />
benchmark for comparison which will<br />
make the findings even more interesting.<br />
We hope that stress levels have reduced but<br />
if not we will be seeking some urgent<br />
changes.”<br />
Remembering Mark with charity walk<br />
Two officers are preparing to take part in a<br />
charity walk in memory of a colleague.<br />
DC 4493 Mark Simmons (49) passed away<br />
suddenly and unexpectedly in June 2012.<br />
He was a keen hill walker and loved to<br />
spend time in Cumbria and particularly<br />
Ambleside.<br />
Now two of his colleagues and friends<br />
Paul Griffiths and Steve Lenton have<br />
organised an 18-mile charity hill walk to<br />
raise money for the mountain rescue teams<br />
of Langdale and Ambleside. It follows a<br />
route previously taken by Mark.<br />
Tom Cuddeford, deputy chairman of<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong> said:<br />
“Mark had many friends and his infectious<br />
laugh and mischievous grin touched the<br />
hearts and minds of all who knew him. It<br />
was clear to anyone that knew him that his<br />
world revolved around his beloved wife,<br />
Sue.<br />
“I joined the Force with Mark in 1988<br />
and have some excellent memories of the<br />
times we shared together, both inside and<br />
outside the job.<br />
“Together with his many friends, we<br />
wish to provide an opportunity to<br />
demonstrate to Sue that Mark made a<br />
difference to many people and that his<br />
contribution to the job, his colleagues and<br />
the public, will not be forgotten.”<br />
If you are interested in joining the walk<br />
please contact Paul Griffiths on 07878<br />
191324.<br />
‘A selfless and<br />
humble man’<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong><br />
chairman Ian Edwards was among<br />
those to pay tribute to Chris Findley,<br />
the 33-year-old <strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong> PC<br />
who died in February.<br />
Chris was off duty when he suffered<br />
serious head injuries after intervening<br />
in an incident outside a<br />
Wolverhampton bar on 28 January.<br />
An 18-year-old has been charged<br />
with manslaughter.<br />
“His colleagues have described<br />
Chris as a selfless and humble man,”<br />
says Ian, “Our thoughts are with his<br />
family, friends and colleagues at this<br />
sad time. He will be sadly missed.”<br />
Chief Inspector Paul Betts said:<br />
“He is fondly described by his<br />
colleagues as a selfless and humble<br />
man, always watching out for those in<br />
need of cheering up, which he achieved<br />
through his warm, infectious<br />
personality and sense of humour.<br />
“Chris was a proactive, hardworking<br />
officer who was a credit to the<br />
service and the communities of<br />
Sandwell.’’<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong> police and crime<br />
commissioner Bob Jones said: “I wish<br />
to express my sincere condolences to<br />
Chris’s colleagues, friends and family,<br />
and I hope that the investigation into<br />
his death reaches a swift and successful<br />
conclusion.”<br />
Are your details up to date<br />
Members of the <strong>Federation</strong>’s Group<br />
Insurance Scheme are being urged to check<br />
that the details held for them – particularly<br />
any beneficiaries – are up to date.<br />
This is particularly important if you<br />
have just got married, separated or divorced.<br />
Please inform <strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong> <strong>Police</strong><br />
<strong>Federation</strong> office of any change of<br />
circumstances or change of address as soon<br />
as possible. To do this, telephone 0121 700<br />
1100, then choose Option 1 to discuss any<br />
changes with our staff.<br />
“We are in the process of sending<br />
letters out to all those in the scheme,<br />
reminding them of what cover they<br />
currently have and what else is available,”<br />
says Tom Cuddeford, deputy chairman of<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong>.<br />
www.westmidspolfed.com ‘Like’ us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter 27
6 months FREE private<br />
health care for your loved ones<br />
when you join before April 30th 2013.<br />
Improve your chances of getting back to work quicker – with the <strong>Police</strong> Healthcare Scheme.<br />
We’ll put you in front of the top medical specialists and provide your treatment in the UK’s best and most comfortable<br />
private hospitals. So, you’ll be diagnosed earlier, treated quicker and back on the road to recovery faster.<br />
For more information call 0121 700 1110 or visit www.policehealthcare.co.uk<br />
The <strong>Police</strong> Healthcare Scheme is one of the <strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong>’s preferred providers of private health care. We are a well<br />
28<br />
established, not for profit organisation, run by the police for the police. For more information, call us on 0121 700 1110 or email us<br />
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at info@policehealthcare.co.uk, quoting 'Sooner 2'. You can also visit us at www.policehealthcare.co.uk
www.westmidspolfed.com ‘Like’ us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter 29<br />
0313
Check out our<br />
new website<br />
The new look <strong>Federation</strong> website has been<br />
unveiled and is much more user friendly.<br />
Currently, around 500 unique people<br />
use the website every day looking for<br />
everything from regulations advice to latest<br />
news and insurance information.<br />
The new site is more interactive and<br />
allows members to find information<br />
quickly.<br />
New features include a media hub<br />
which gives direct access to our social<br />
media sites so you can Tweet us and let us<br />
know your views, a latest news section<br />
where you can search for topics of interest,<br />
a members services area with a search<br />
facility and map showing you the location<br />
of services and discounts and a central hub<br />
of information which contains advice,<br />
resources and regulations in a simplified<br />
and easy to find format.<br />
Officers urged to take part in College survey<br />
<strong>Police</strong> officers from all over the country and<br />
across all ranks are being urged to take part in<br />
a survey about the new College of Policing.<br />
Tom Cuddeford, deputy chairman of<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong>, says: “Your<br />
input will assist directly in influencing how<br />
the professional body operates. National<br />
<strong>Federation</strong> representatives have been<br />
identified, from all three Federated ranks,<br />
who will be pressing hard for the College to<br />
recognise and respond to police officer views’,<br />
so that the body is truly OUR professional<br />
body and not just something that’s imposed<br />
on us and adds no value to the service.<br />
“Please complete this survey and assist<br />
your <strong>Federation</strong> in influencing relevant<br />
parties.”<br />
Visit https://www.surveymonkey.<br />
com/s/CollegeBlueprint to take part.<br />
The <strong>Federation</strong> has also been asked to<br />
help with a survey being conducted by<br />
Professor Jennifer Brown, deputy chair of the<br />
Independent Commission into the Future of<br />
Policing in England and Wales being led by<br />
Lord Stevens.<br />
The Independent <strong>Police</strong> Commission, as<br />
a consequence of the findings of the earlier<br />
surveys, is seeking further information from<br />
<strong>Federation</strong> members.<br />
Results of the previous consultation<br />
revealed morale problems and difficulties<br />
experienced in managing part-time and/or<br />
flexible working, in addition to identifying<br />
unfairness in working practices.<br />
Rather than simply reporting this state of<br />
affairs, the Commission wants to be more<br />
constructive and offer a way to create a fairer<br />
working environment and would welcome<br />
your further input.<br />
Tom explains: “Once again, your input<br />
into this survey would be greatly appreciated<br />
and we hope to report the findings at the<br />
<strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong> conference.”<br />
The survey is completed anonymously<br />
and participants will not be identifiable in the<br />
final reporting. The link to the survey is as<br />
follows: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/<br />
N6Y6WBK<br />
The survey will be open until 12 April<br />
2013.<br />
30<br />
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College of Policing scraps OSPRE II exams<br />
The College of Policing has announced that<br />
OSPRE Part II promotion exams will be<br />
scrapped and replaced with work-based<br />
assessments.<br />
The college has agreed to adopt the<br />
National <strong>Police</strong> Promotion Framework<br />
(NPPF) and work-based assessments that<br />
have been trialled in several forces.<br />
Nationally, the <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong> has<br />
said it will not currently support the<br />
roll-out of the new promotions system for<br />
the rank of sergeant and inspector because<br />
of concerns over fairness, equality and costs.<br />
But Ian Edwards, chairman of <strong>West</strong><br />
<strong>Midlands</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong>, has said: “As<br />
police officers, we are trained to look for<br />
evidence and I think that if there is<br />
evidence that this new system will be an<br />
improvement on the previous exams then it<br />
is to be welcomed. Sergeants and inspectors<br />
play a pivotal role in the police service and<br />
therefore it is crucial that we recruit the<br />
very best individuals to these ranks.<br />
Sometimes it takes more than an exam to<br />
assess someone’s suitability for a role.”<br />
Officers currently undergoing OSPRE<br />
Part II behavioural assessments for 2013<br />
will not be affected by the changes and will<br />
continue under the current system but all<br />
officers going for promotion to the rank<br />
after this year will be assessed under the<br />
new system.<br />
Under the NPPF, officers who are<br />
considered eligible for promotion and have<br />
passed their legal knowledge examination<br />
will go through a local selection process<br />
that assesses their ability to perform<br />
effectively at the next rank.<br />
If they are successful they will be<br />
selected for temporary promotion and<br />
supported through a 12-month work-based<br />
assessment programme. On successful<br />
completion of the programme, the officers<br />
will then be substantively promoted.<br />
Chief Constable Alex Marshall, chief<br />
executive of the College of Policing, said:<br />
“The introduction of the National <strong>Police</strong><br />
Promotion Framework is the first<br />
significant change to the promotion<br />
process for many years. It will provide<br />
newly-promoted sergeants and inspectors<br />
with the necessary operational and<br />
leadership skills, developed in their local<br />
environments, to deliver a high quality<br />
service to the public.”<br />
The College of Policing will provide<br />
further information to forces and officers<br />
about the National <strong>Police</strong> Promotions<br />
Framework via the college website,<br />
http://www.college.police.uk/en/11621.<br />
htm and in a series of regional meetings.<br />
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Estate planning specialists on hand to<br />
support members<br />
Introducing the Inheritance & Welfare<br />
team at Slater & Gordon Lawyers,<br />
formerly Russell Jones & Walker<br />
In this edition we would like to<br />
introduce the services of our Inheritance &<br />
Welfare team. Experts on estate planning,<br />
our specialists are on hand to offer no<br />
obligation advice on their range of legal<br />
services to <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong> members.<br />
Estate planning is crucial in helping you<br />
take control of your affairs and protect what<br />
is yours, but is often something that is left<br />
on the back burner with thoughts of ‘I’ll get<br />
‘round to it later’.<br />
Consider the below scenarios, could they<br />
happen to you Have you done all you can to<br />
protect your assets and the livelihood of your<br />
family<br />
1. An officer died leaving behind his<br />
unmarried partner and child as well as a<br />
young child from his earlier marriage. He’d<br />
also raised his partner’s eldest child as his<br />
own, providing for her financially. But the<br />
officer hadn’t written a will.<br />
In the absence of a valid will, the officer’s<br />
estate had to be distributed to his two young<br />
children as equal beneficiaries. Nothing was<br />
left for his unmarried partner or the child he<br />
was supporting before his death. The<br />
mothers of the officer’s children were made<br />
aware that they had an equal right to<br />
represent their children and the estate and<br />
both were happy to act together.<br />
But the officer’s partner changed her<br />
mind and decided to claim against the<br />
estate. Her eldest child also began a claim.<br />
The estate was in danger of disappearing in<br />
legal fees.<br />
How we helped<br />
By agreement, we applied to take control of<br />
the estate administration and helped create<br />
an acceptable solution for all to avoid the<br />
excessive costs of court action.<br />
2. An officer sustained a severe brain injury<br />
in a road accident. The injury left her<br />
incapable of managing her finances or her<br />
personal injury claim. Medical staff<br />
confirmed that they would not be able to<br />
predict the chances of recovery for a number<br />
of years. The officer had not previously<br />
created a Lasting Power of Attorney, which<br />
is a document to appoint people to represent<br />
you whenever needed. A volunteer had to<br />
apply to the Court of Protection for a<br />
Deputyship Order. The family lived outside<br />
the UK so agreed that we should make the<br />
application to Court.<br />
How we helped<br />
We now handle the officer’s health-care<br />
package requirements, manage her personal<br />
finances and have protected her employment<br />
position in the short-term, in the hope that<br />
she makes a full recovery.<br />
We will continue to protect her while<br />
she remains unable to manage her own<br />
affairs. We will also make sure that the<br />
compensation she will receive is invested<br />
appropriately so that it can be applied for<br />
her continued welfare and rehabilitation.<br />
So, as the above scenarios demonstrate,<br />
it’s important not to rest on your laurels<br />
when it comes to planning your estate.<br />
Make sure you have a plan in place should<br />
anything unexpected happen to you or your<br />
family.<br />
It’s always better to seek early guidance<br />
than find yourself in an unfavourable<br />
situation. Our services can be tailored to suit<br />
you and we offer advice:<br />
l Online<br />
l By telephone and post<br />
l Face-to-face at your local S & G office<br />
or <strong>Federation</strong> office.<br />
All our services are designed to give you<br />
a chance to access our expertise, whatever<br />
your budget. All our fees are fixed before you<br />
commit to instructing us and we also offer<br />
discounted online options.<br />
For more information, contact the<br />
Inheritance & Welfare team on 0845 601<br />
1908.<br />
Can you help university research team<br />
Officers are being encouraged to take<br />
part in a research project which is looking<br />
at how the changes in the police service<br />
are affecting you, the officers.<br />
The University of <strong>West</strong> of England<br />
in Bristol is conducting a research<br />
project titled ‘<strong>Police</strong> Identity in a Period<br />
of Social, Political and Organisational<br />
Change’.<br />
It aims to capture evidence about the<br />
numerous issues facing the police service<br />
in England and Wales today and how<br />
they are impacting on serving officers.<br />
The survey takes around 20 minutes to<br />
complete. You can leave the survey at any<br />
point (your responses will be saved) and<br />
then finish completing it at a later date but<br />
only if you log onto the same computer<br />
each time you complete the survey.<br />
At the end of the survey,<br />
researchers intend to produce an<br />
academic report which will give a<br />
true picture of how <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong><br />
members feel.<br />
The <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong> hopes it will<br />
be able to make use of the outcomes to<br />
evidence its arguments on the damaging<br />
effects of Government policy.<br />
To take part in the survey, please<br />
go to: http://go.uwe.ac.uk/policesurvey-2013.<br />
www.westmidspolfed.com ‘Like’ us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter 33
National news round-up<br />
Campaign calls for change of law to protect pursuit drivers<br />
Talks have begun with the<br />
Home Secretary over<br />
concerns about officers<br />
taking part in police<br />
pursuits being subject to<br />
prosecution.<br />
T/Deputy Chief<br />
Constable Andy Holt, who<br />
is ACPO lead for police pursuits, has<br />
started the ball rolling on a change or<br />
amendment in legislation which will<br />
potentially offer more protection to police<br />
officers. He has also spoken to the Director<br />
of Transport.<br />
In 2009 in a Court of Appeal case, the<br />
court prohibited a jury from taking into<br />
account a police officer’s skill and training<br />
in determining whether the driving was<br />
dangerous. As a result, a police officer<br />
cannot argue that his driving ought not to<br />
be considered dangerous because he had<br />
the skills to deal with the apparent hazards.<br />
And more recently, in a case involving<br />
officers from Hampshire, a<br />
further problem was<br />
highlighted in that the<br />
prosecution argued that a<br />
police driver is criminally<br />
liable for the danger caused<br />
by the subject vehicle<br />
because, by pursuing or<br />
continuing to pursue, the police driver has<br />
caused the dangerous driving of the subject<br />
vehicle.<br />
In a letter to chief constables, Mr Holt<br />
said: “The <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong> are rightly<br />
concerned that officers are at increased risk<br />
of prosecution whilst merely seeking to<br />
discharge their duties as constables. It<br />
would pose a serious risk to the operational<br />
delivery of the police service if officers do<br />
not conduct pursuits and do not respond to<br />
emergencies promptly. I am working with<br />
the <strong>Federation</strong> to address this issue, but it<br />
seems likely that a change or amendment<br />
to legislation is required and, as you may<br />
imagine, this could take some while.”<br />
The <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong> of England and<br />
Wales has written to all branch boards<br />
outlining the position.<br />
In the letter it states: “The <strong>Police</strong><br />
<strong>Federation</strong> acknowledges that police<br />
officers cannot be exempt from such<br />
driving standards, but takes the stance that<br />
the uniqueness of the role and the<br />
requirement to respond to emergencies of a<br />
very wide nature requires that the driver’s<br />
training and expertise should be taken into<br />
account. It falls to the individual officer to<br />
justify proportionality, reasonableness,<br />
necessity and judgement if called to<br />
account as to why they drove in the way<br />
they did.”<br />
Mr Holt said the issue has also been<br />
raised with the Director of Public<br />
Prosecutions to ensure that before any<br />
prosecution the public interest test has been<br />
appropriately applied.<br />
National standards planned for<br />
roads policing officers<br />
A project that will lead to the creation of national accredited<br />
standards of training for officers involved in roads policing has<br />
been launched.<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong> ACC Garry Forsyth, vice-chair of the ACPO<br />
Roads Policing Business Area, gave details of the project at the<br />
joint ACPO and <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong> Roads Policing Conference in<br />
Leicestershire earlier this year.<br />
The project will run for up to two years and will engage with<br />
forces across England and Wales to establish what training is<br />
currently being delivered.<br />
The national package is expected to be in a range of modules<br />
which will enable chief officers to have a variety of options that<br />
they can tailor to their force’s circumstances. The team will work<br />
with a view to embedding the standards within the new College<br />
of Policing.<br />
Alan Jones, the <strong>Federation</strong>’s roads policing lead, said:<br />
“Although we already have some excellent in-force training<br />
provision it is too patchy and non-consistent.<br />
“The establishment of a national standard is long overdue. I<br />
really do have a long term vision of a national roads policing<br />
academy which has tremendous opportunities to embrace all<br />
aspects of the role, supporting officers in the best possible way.”<br />
MP’s praise for roads policing<br />
officers<br />
The Department of Transport has thanked police officers for the<br />
incredible job they do, day in day out helping make Britain’s roads<br />
among the safest in the world.<br />
Stephen Hammond MP, the under-secretary of state for<br />
transport, addressed officers via video at the joint <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong><br />
and ACPO Roads Policing Conference earlier this year.<br />
He spoke about new proposals to reduce drink-driving and to<br />
allow a widened range of registered healthcare<br />
professionals to use blood and specimen samples in evidence.<br />
He said: “The concluded drink-drive consultation will support<br />
more law enforcement. Under new proposals, this will allow us to<br />
close down some loop-holes used by some drink-drivers to escape<br />
prosecution. We will be looking at replacing a breath test with a<br />
blood or urine test.<br />
“We are also looking at proposals to widen the range of<br />
registered healthcare professionals who are allowed to take blood<br />
samples and specimens in evidence.<br />
“I am grateful to ACPO, the <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong>, other police<br />
groups and authorities who have responded to this consultation<br />
and look forward to working with them as we decide which<br />
measures to implement.”<br />
The Department of Transport is giving more than £1 billion to<br />
local councils to improve the transport infrastructure, including the<br />
design of better and safer roads.<br />
34<br />
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Officer witnesses must attend interviews<br />
in death or serious injury inquiries<br />
New powers are now in place which<br />
compel officers to attend an interview<br />
when being treated as a witness in a death<br />
or serious injury investigation.<br />
The Independent <strong>Police</strong> Complaints<br />
Commission (IPCC) has been given the<br />
power after it was deemed necessary to<br />
enable it to investigate the Hillsborough<br />
matter. However, it can be used in any<br />
death or serious injury investigation.<br />
It is not a power to enforce officers to<br />
answer questions. It is only to enforce they<br />
attend an interview.<br />
Stephen Smith, deputy general<br />
secretary at the <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong> of<br />
England and Wales, explains: “It remains<br />
each officer’s right to decide whether to<br />
respond by answering questions in<br />
interview or by preparing a written<br />
statement.<br />
“Whilst the officer could face<br />
misconduct proceedings for failing to<br />
attend an interview when required to do so,<br />
no sanction can be imposed should the<br />
officer decide not to answer questions.<br />
“It is a decision for each officer to<br />
determine what is best for them. However,<br />
the <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong> has obtained legal<br />
advice on this issue and police friends and<br />
officers should take into consideration the<br />
following issues:<br />
l In any DSI investigation there will be<br />
an expectation that any officer who has<br />
used force, or has been involved in the<br />
decision to use force, or is a witness to<br />
the use of force, will justify that use of<br />
force in a written statement. It is vitally<br />
important that great care is taken when<br />
preparing a statement so as to ensure<br />
that all the relevant evidence is<br />
included in particular the officer’s<br />
perception of the circumstances that led<br />
to the use of force. If the decision to use<br />
force is not articulated carefully the<br />
officer concerned could become a<br />
suspect rather than a witness.<br />
l The new regulations require the<br />
investigator to provide disclosure to the<br />
officer in advance of the interview. The<br />
new regulations state that this should<br />
be done so as to enable the officer to<br />
prepare for the interview. Legal advice<br />
suggests this should be done in advance<br />
of the interview and not on the day of<br />
the interview to afford the officer<br />
sufficient time to prepare and, where<br />
appropriate, to seek legal advice or<br />
advice from a police friend.<br />
l The officer is entitled to be<br />
accompanied at the interview by a<br />
person of their choice. This can be a<br />
police friend or a legal advisor. In a DSI<br />
investigation the <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong><br />
would strongly advise any officer to<br />
seek legal advice before attending an<br />
interview and, where appropriate,<br />
attend with a legal advisor.<br />
l This power can only be used when the<br />
officer is being treated as a witness. It<br />
cannot be used where the officer is<br />
subject of an investigation into a<br />
complaint or where the officer may<br />
have committed a criminal offence or<br />
failed to meet the standards of<br />
professional behaviour. However,<br />
because in a DSI investigation the<br />
status of an officer who has used force<br />
can change from witness to suspect at<br />
any time, the <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong> would<br />
strongly advise every officer to seek<br />
legal advice before attending an<br />
interview and, where appropriate,<br />
attend with a legal advisor.<br />
l An officer is entitled to seek legal<br />
advice at any stage, provided the<br />
investigation is with regard to their<br />
performance of police duties.<br />
CRTP - legal<br />
challenge unlikely<br />
Any legal challenge to Government plans<br />
to phase out Competency Related<br />
Threshold Payments (CRTP) is likely to<br />
fail, according to the general secretary of<br />
the <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong>.<br />
<strong>Federation</strong> leaders have opposed the<br />
abolition of CRTP as it was part of<br />
pensionable pay.<br />
In a letter to <strong>Federation</strong> chairmen and<br />
secretaries, national general secretary Ian<br />
Rennie says that the phased withdrawal of<br />
CRTP would mean that even with modest<br />
pay rises there should be no pension ‘loss’<br />
and that a legal challenge is therefore not<br />
likely to succeed.<br />
But Steve Grange, deputy secretary of<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Midlands</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Federation</strong>, says:<br />
“My only view on this is that it seems<br />
contradictory to say that officers won’t<br />
suffer any loss to pension when they are<br />
having over £1,000 of pensionable pay cut<br />
from their salary. For somebody who<br />
retires at 30 years that’s a reduction of over<br />
£650 per year from their pension or if they<br />
commute the full amount then about<br />
£3,500 from their lump sum.<br />
“Obviously, this is being phased out so<br />
the full effect won’t be felt for three years<br />
but it is still a reduction in pension for all<br />
officers who previously received it, and let’s<br />
not forget that a number of officers will<br />
have paid pension contributions of<br />
between 11 and 12.25 per cent on CRTP<br />
since they were first paid it, for no benefit.”<br />
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