You may have heard earlier this week that a number of police forces around the UK have been responding to Government budget cuts by using something called ‘regulation A19’.
VB wondered if this would have any impact on the Isle of Wight and today received the following statement from the Police. It’s in their own words – Ed.
Fully sworn police officers are servants of the Crown, not employees, so can’t be made redundant under existing laws, but using A19 police officers with over 30 years service can be forced to retire, even if they don’t want to.
Statement
We are aware of concerns raised in the national media this week about officers with 30 or more years’ service being required to retire under regulation A19 in the Police Pensions Regulations 1987.
At this time, Hampshire Constabulary has no intention of using regulation A19 to reduce numbers of police officers or achieve budget savings during our Force Change process. This position was reiterated during the Chief Constable’s Senior Leaders’ Conference in Southampton on Tuesday (March 29).
Police officers in Hampshire Constabulary are able to serve for more than 30 years under different terms and conditions of employment.
30-plus retention scheme
A separate option available to officers is the 30-plus retention scheme. This was designed to enable Hampshire Constabulary and other police forces to keep officers with exceptional skills and experience, who otherwise would retire having accrued maximum pension benefits after 30 or more years’ service.
The 30-plus scheme allows an officer to retire, gain early access to a lump sum from their pension, and then resume their full-time employment as an officer on a new contract.
The purpose of the 30-plus scheme is not to benefit an individual officer but to assist Hampshire Constabulary in retaining specialist skills and experience that the force considers vital at a particular time.
Reviewed annually
Appointments under the 30-plus scheme are all reviewed annually in line with a consistent set of standards. Any officer on 30-plus who wishes to remain with Hampshire Constabulary must submit a new business case each year. Recommendations to continue an appointment must be authorised by an officer’s line manager and the force’s head of Human Resources (HR).
Each annual business case must be justified in accordance with national police guidelines, the force’s current requirements for a particular officer’s specific skills, and the numbers of other officers waiting to fill vacancies within Hampshire Constabulary.
An officer has a right to appeal when decisions are made to refuse their appointment.
