Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
#1
Anyone who watched Prime Ministers Questions today will have noticed the rather bizarre situation brought up by Ed Miliband in one of his questions to the Prime Minister.
A policeman from the west midlands was forced to retire under rule A19 which allows the authority to force a policeman out of the job once he reaches 30 years service.
The amazing situation is this... a whole batch of policeman have been forced out now under this A19 regulation by way of meeting the Conservative government cuts. Losing experienced officers, losing quality etc.
But here is the sting in the tail.. a number of these forced out officers have been contacted (some of them even as soon as 2 weeks into forced retirement) and asked to come back to work as voluntary constables for no pay at all. In other words to do the same job but for nothing, no pay at all, zilch, zero.
This is the most awful and obnoxious situation. If a police officer has given 30 years to the community, is then forced out, forced out, which shouldnt happen anyway, but is then asked by the same Police Authority to come back to work again but this time for nothing...well its just plain awful.
Is this the so called Big Society in action? Its not a very good Big Society if it is. More like the BIG Cheap Society. Mr Cameron had no real answer to the question today but as ever plays to his own gallery in the hope that the problems go away. Miliband is a much improved performer in recent times and has ruffled Cameron's smooth exterior several times.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
#2
PaulB - The police have a unique position with their pension scheme by which benefits accumulate after 20 years service at twice the rate of the first 20 years. Therefore they have the full pensionable service after 30 years. The same pension as someone in for instance the Civil Service on the same pay would get after 40 years service.
Pension rules have admitedly changed in 2006 and the basis of maximum pension now may enable some to gain additional benefits after 30 years if they stayed on.
With the new changes coming forward to these schemes they may well be better off retiring now after 30 years service than hanging on anyway so it is not as bad as it seems.
Great if these officers are being recruited as 'hobby bobbies' after getting in the 30 years service and a decent pension. Their experience will be put to great use. The unpaid 'specials' are not exactly a new idea however you may want to dress it up a 'shock horror'. Many people do like to do work on a voluntary basis after or even before retirement.
Seems a great idea and it certainly is better than making younger police officers redundant before building up their pensionable service of 30 years.
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
#3
You have to remember the operative word here BarryW...forced. These guys are being forced out of their jobs and then with an absence of either delicacy or decorum are contacted in a short space of time and asked to come back and do the same job for nothing. They are livid and hurt....so much so that it has been brought to the attention of the Leader of the Opposition
If people are careerists as the Police are..then they generally like their jobs and like to carry on working, so the situation has an unsavoury aspect to it and thats why it was raised by the Labour leader.
There is also the seperate issue of losing talented experienced people but thats another story, but the streets are not so crime free that we can afford that situation.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
#4
i thought that was the "big society" idea, get people work for free whenever possible.
what dave and co have not thought through is that police officers are sick and tired of the job after 30 years, they are hardly likely to want to work for nothing.
most police join up with a desire to help society and feel the collars of undesirables, slowly that dissipates, then eventually they get a rather jaundiced view of society because of who they are forced to mix with.
nice try dave, how about asking the cabinet to work just on their m.p's salaries.
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
#5
That is one of the big misconceptions about the big society Howard. I will look around and find some homework to set you......
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
#6
It's amazing that the red-tops can still get away with peddling that rubbish.
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
#7
When my Dad completed 22 years service in the Army, adding to his Army pension and pay-out sum, he was given the offer to do 5 more years, but paid!
The case of policemen being asked to work without pay after being forced out of their work, goes to show how the Treasury is in dire straits.
But with overseas spending, the Government seems to be as generous as ever.
That's one area where they do not introduce spending cuts, but rather increase them!
A shame that it's our money they are giving away, and not their own personal funds!
