Page 5 - WMPF Federation JUNE-JULY 2019-flip_Neat

and all affected members. I continue to raise
this issue at the Federation’s National
Council and challenge the current view at
every opportunity. But I remain of the view
that should the challenge (of which I am a
member) succeed, the likelihood is all
affected members will benefit although
what I would like to see is the Federation
nationally try to guarantee this by instituting
Taser training. claims on behalf of all members now.
Stop and search
supply. We have continued to see a rise in Pensions challenge
serious violent crime, with an upsurge in Earlier this year, aiming to empower officers
knife crime and shootings of grave concern. The Government has set aside almost tackling the ever-growing knife crime crisis,
To understand the scale of the problem we £30 billion to cover the potential cost if it is Home Secretary Sajid Javid decided to relax
face you only have to consider that we have not granted the right to appeal a Court of the ‘Best Use of Stop and Search’ protocol,
11 unsolved murder cases in the last year Appeals decision on judges’ and firefighters’ introduced by Theresa May in 2014, for
including eight that are gang-related. There pensions, a decision which could impact on several forces including ours.
are also other unsolved serious crimes too. police pensions. You would be forgiven for thinking chief
Changes forced on teams of detectives, Incidentally, we still don’t know whether officers would jump at the chance of once
particularly at short notice, have an impact the Government will be allowed to appeal. again allowing rank and file operational
on them, and their families. The Force, we The background to this is that on 20 officers to use enhanced search powers,
appreciate, is trying to ensure it pours December 2018, the Court of Appeal ruled known as ‘S60’, dynamically to suppress and
resources into tackling the most serious of the Government’s transitional pension tackle emerging threats of serious violence.
offences but, of course, with a finite number arrangements offered to some judges and Sadly, in my opinion, the Force has
of officers to go around, the public will feel firefighters amounted to unlawful decided it would be altogether safer to retain
the impact of them being moved from one discrimination. The Chief Secretary to the the authorising rank at Mrs May’s preference,
area to another, perhaps seeing less focus on Treasury announced this ruling could cost that is chief officer level. Greater Manchester
other crimes blighting their communities around £4 billion a year if extended to all Police has done something similar insisting
and fewer offenders brought to justice applicable public service pension schemes. on an authorising rank of superintendent.
which affects confidence. The Government challenged the Court of This will ensure enough barriers remain so
Funding is part of the problem but there Appeal’s decision. The Pension Challenge the power is rarely used. This is partly down
are other factors too. group, acting on behalf of a number of police to fears of ‘perception’ on the ground and
The Federation has argued for some time officers, asked the Treasury whether this was concerns young people stopped and found
that the current operating model is flawed being treated as a contingent liability. It with drugs might be ‘unnecessarily
in that it has led to mass de-skilling of explained that schemes have made criminalised’.
officers in areas that are no longer their day provisions of £29.5 billion in respect of a I have clearly communicated my views to
job. This means we have response officers potential increase in liabilities. the Chief Constable. For me, this represents a
who can adeptly handle and manage a scene If the Government appeal went ahead problem of trust. Increasingly we see a ‘top
and yet losing their basic investigatory and was then lost, the Treasury would not down’ approach to policing, a risk aversion
expertise. We also have investigative officers expect that to affect scheme contribution which is denying rank and file officers the
who have been away from the streets for a rates until beyond the period to 2023 which ability to act dynamically and decisively to
long period and whose basic training has are in the process of being set. As such, this supress crime.
lapsed. All this reduces our flexibility as a case represents a longer term fiscal risk Fears of ‘perception’ and worries about
Force, in my view. rather than one that would be likely to affect ‘reputation’ weigh far too highly in my view
If we are intent on retaining the current the public finances within our current and, in actual fact, they are likely to find that
structure, we have to ensure there is a forecast horizon. once we start empowering our rank and file
meaningful exchange of knowledge and I have always believed the Federation officers they will deliver in the positive on
experience between specialisms. should be supporting the Pension Challenge both of those things.

www.polfed.org/westmids federation June/July 2019 05