Page 4 - West Midlands Police Federation: Here for you 2015

Secretary’s Summary 2015 was dominated by the Government’s programme of cuts to policing budgets and reform. But significantly, for me, it was not just about the cuts being imposed but more about the effects being felt - increased stress and low morale within the Force and poorer service to our communities especially victims of crime. At the outset, when plans for the cuts were announced, the Police Federation had warned there would be consequences and last year they certainly started to be felt. However, it was the increased terror threat and atrocities in Paris, Tunisia and elsewhere that actually seemed to stop the Government in its tracks. With senior officers starting to join the Federation in expressing fears for how depleted police forces would cope with a terrorist attack in the UK, the Chancellor’s announcement in the Comprehensive Spending Review in November that there would be no further police cuts during this Parliament was a welcome shock. It does not mean we can suddenly replace the numbers we have lost but it does, hopefully, give us all time to consolidate, absorb the numerous reforms to policing and, hopefully, re-build our decimated service. The terrorism threat has also re-opened the debate about training more officers to use Taser but that has gone one step further with many calling for more officers to be firearms trained. We will watch the debate unfold. Meanwhile, within the Force, we have been engaged in the ongoing change programme, initiated to develop a strategy for coping with the funding cuts. Despite the Government appearing to take its foot off the accelerator, as it were, we all know money is still tight and reform is still firmly on the agenda. It has not all been bad news, though. The outcome of last year’s Bear Scotland v Fulton case will mean that officers who receive regular over-time or allowance payments will receive a compensation payment in their May pay. The Police Federation has been working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) for some time to reach an agreement over the application of the ruling and we have, in turn, been liaising locally to ensure this is implemented in a timely and fair manner. Negotiations are still ongoing – and legal support is being offered – for members pursuing claims in relation to the Allard v Devon and Cornwall to ensure fair payment for all those called upon to work when off-duty. There were two other events on a national level, but with a significant local impact that I want to touch upon. The first is the introduction of the new pension scheme. The national Federation sought legal advice and was advised it would be unlikely to be successful in a legal challenge to the scheme. However, a firm of solicitors is planning to mount a legal challenge and some officers have signed up in support of this. We urged our members to carry out their own comprehensive research before committing to this course of action. The second was a decision by the NPCC not to push for the introduction of compulsory severance for police officers. There were fears chief officers would campaign for this as a means to make savings but, for now, they have backed off. The ability to make a police officer redundant could irreparably damage the unique status of the police constable. Finally, I would just like to touch upon the progress made in the implementation of the recommendations of the independent review of the Police Federation. We have already amended our core purpose and this is to be enshrined within legislation currently going through Parliament. Regulatory change is also being progressed which will see a wholesale change to our structure both locally and nationally when elections take place later this year. Steve Grange Secretary West Midlands Police Federation 4