Correspondence

Circular 002/2014: Home Secretary’s decision on the findings of the Police Arbitration Tribunal

Decision on the findings of the Police Arbitration Tribunal in relation to 6 recommendations of the Part 2 report of the Winsor Review.

From:
Home Office
Published
20 February 2014

Documents

Circular 002/2014

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Details

Home Secretary’s decision on the findings of the Police Arbitration Tribunal of 20 December 2013 in relation to 6 recommendations of the Part 2 report of the Winsor Review

  • broad subject: Police service
  • sub category: Police pay and conditions
  • issue date: 20 February 2014
  • implementation date: 13 February 2014
  • from: Crime and Policing Group, Policing Directorate, Police Workforce and Efficiency Unit
  • for more information contact: Harriet Bradley at harriet.bradley@homeoffice.gov.uk or on 020 7035 5590
  • addressed to: chief officers of England and Wales, police and crime commissioners

Police Arbitration Tribunal

Introduction

This circular publishes the Home Secretary’s decision on the findings of the Police Arbitration Tribunal (PAT) of 20 December 2013 in relation to 6 recommendations of the final report of the Winsor Review which were referred to the PAT for consideration. This followed a failure to agree at the Police Negotiating Board (PNB) in July 2013. The recommendations referred to the PAT included 3 recommendations relating to measures to introduce compulsory severance and 3 relating to the management of officers on restricted duties

The PAT provided its findings on 20 December 2013.

On 13 February 2014, the Home Secretary announced her decision in relation to the PAT findings.

The Home Secretary decided to accept the PAT’s recommendation not to implement measures to introduce compulsory severance at this time. The Home Secretary has also decided to accept the PAT’s recommendation on restricted duties and will implement the reforms it has put forward.

Implementation

The Home Secretary will therefore implement the following changes to police officer remuneration and conditions:

Restricted duties and the X-factor

Recommendations 38[1] and 39[2]:

Police Regulations 2003 are to be amended to specify the procedure for determining the circumstances in which an officer may be placed on restricted duty, the arrangements which a Chief Constable may make for officers on restricted duty, and the adjustments to the pay of such officers.

Proposals, as modified by the Official Side, are to be taken forward so that:

  • from September 2014, officers on adjusted duties will have their deployability and capability to exercise police powers assessed one year after being placed on adjusted duty

  • officers who are not fully deployable will, subject to appeal and review procedures, sustain a reduction in pay equal to the value of the deployability element of the X-factor, namely the lower of 8 per cent and £2,922 per annum

Recommendation 71:

The deployment component of the police officer X-factor is to be established as 8 per cent of basic pay for constables. For other ranks, it is to be expressed in cash terms, benchmarked at 8 per cent of the maximum of constables’ basic pay.

The process to amend the relevant sections of the Police Regulations 2003 and determinations to take forward recommendations on the management of officers on restricted duties will begin shortly, including making any necessary consequential and ancillary changes. This will include consultation with the PNB and Police Advisory Board of England and Wales (PABEW).

Recommendations rejected by PAT

Recommendations 46 to 48

The PAT rejected the Official Side’s proposals for the introduction of a system of compulsory severance for police officers with less than full pensionable service from April 2013, and associated arrangements for compensation and access to employment tribunals.

The Home Secretary accepted PAT’s recommendation not to implement measures to introduce compulsory severance at this time.

  1. Recommendation 38 was referred to both the PNB and the Police Advisory Board of England and Wales. It was determined that only the adjustment to the pay of officers is a matter for arbitration.

  2. Although this recommendation was only referred to the PNB, it was determined that only the first two sentences of Recommendation 39 may be settled through arbitration.

Published 20 February 2014

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