Have YOU been mis-sold a career in the UK Police Force?
If we all put in claims to have our pension contributions re-paid, on the basis of the above, what would happen?
'Diary of an On-Call Girl' is available in some bookstores and online.
posted by PC Bloggs at 19:27
16 Comments:
Nothing again sorry
26 May, 2012 20:19
Nice to see you post again Ellie, I was missing you.
I fully agree with the sentiment but until there is concerted and disruptive effort co-ordinated by the federation then nothing will change.
We have seen tanker drivers, tube drivers and others use the big sports day as a lever against the government, we should be doing the same.
I joined after the Shameron report proposals came in Sept 94, yes I was in the £690 club!, no-one on my intake at training school could retire @ 50 without a sickness enhancement, I haven't seen a lot of change in the age of people joining since. Someone who joins under the 2006 scheme can't retire until they are 53 at the earliest most will be 60.
I fear that after the sports day there will be an exodus from most forces and particulary the MET, in the current climate the monkeys will be falling over themselves to join on winsors peanuts.
On either scheme we have paid in more than anyone else and were told of guarantees since the government took the pension pot in the 1950's.
The treatment of the police seems to be based on the advice of the civil servant who wrote to Jaqui Smith that she could do what she wanted as they can't strike.
Either the police are crown servants and are a special case which require a degree of special treatment.
Or the police are employees and deserve the protections afforded to all other employee's.
The government of multi-millionaires wants the cake and to eat it, you will notice the rise in their pension contributions and the lengthening of the accural rates won't you........
Oh and both top steps :)
26 May, 2012 20:42
@ polis man - neither the Federation, or anyone else, can even suggest taking industrial action without committing a criminal offence. It needs officers to wake up and realise what is going on. Perhaps then all firearms officers might hand in their tickets. It needs that sort of focussed action.
To answer the question Ellie, if all officers came out of the police pension schemes and took their contributions back the Government couldn't be happier. It would save them a lot of money.
26 May, 2012 23:40
I see nothing has changed, governments have always treated the police with contempt and, when convenient for them, like doormats.
During my time in the police, from the early 1960s to the early 1990s,
I was employed by the Local Authority of the area where I worked. At one point, because it was convenient for the government, I, along with my colleagues, were, for a short period of time, employed by the Home Office. They wanted to opt the police out of a piece of legislation and, rather than involve the Local Authorities, decided the Home Secretary could act, and vote, on their behalf in case any got out of line.
After a Force Amalgamation, 1974, trhe Fed tried to get, as was the then proceedure in industry, to claim we had been dismissed from one Force and reemployed by the new Force. The final decision was that we were not employed at all but received "emoluments and payments for services rendered".
During the whole of that time my job had not changed and neather had the place I worked. Other than those subject to Military Discipline, i.e. non-civilians, I can think of no other large number of workers who would be shipped around and treated like that without there being uproar and in most cases damaging industrial action. To keep myself on the right side of the law I have to add that I have no intention to incite, or even suggest that such activities be engaged in.
I was proud to have served durin my time but would I advise anybody to join now? Not on your life, I even dissuaded my own son, because the risks now involved and the treatment handed out to the police make it not a worthwhile proposition, and that was before the stupidity of the last decade and a half and it will only get steadily worse.
27 May, 2012 04:51
Taxpayers cannot go on strike against the taxman either.
27 May, 2012 09:43
Anonymous Brontosaurus said...
@ polis man - neither the Federation, or anyone else, can even suggest taking industrial action without committing a criminal offence. It needs officers to wake up and realise what is going on. Perhaps then all firearms officers might hand in their tickets. It needs that sort of focussed action
Whats that then if it's not disruptive effort???
I've read on Gadget's blog aboutt he MET's do it right campaign, not seen anything like in my farce.
27 May, 2012 16:23
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
27 May, 2012 16:49
This mis selling stuff needs exploring. I believe the original pension mis selling crisis was caused not because pensions were mis sold, but because people were advised, wrongly to transfer their other pensions into their new one. this caused £000,000 payouts!
Now when i joined in 1996 I'm sure I was advised that this police pension was the best thing since sliced bread and I should transfer my other pensions into it! I bet the person that advised this had no financial training whatsoever and probably worked in the fed office and was undoubtedly a police officer.
Now is that mis selling. There must be thousands in this position.
27 May, 2012 17:06
Nice to see Cairan back and addressing the points made. "Scum", you say? Nice.
If the govt want a mass exodus from the police, they are certainly going the right way about it.
27 May, 2012 19:29
@polis man
Actually those who joined under 2006 scheme cannot retire until they reach 55 regardless if they joined at 18 and have done a full 35 years.
27 May, 2012 20:35
"If we all put in claims to have our pension contributions re-paid, on the basis of the above, what would happen?"
If it meant giving up on the pension, I imagine the Government would rejoice. the net present value of a police pension is still likely to be much higher than all the individual contributions up until now. They would be getting a bargain if they could give the cash back to you now.
28 May, 2012 12:02
Is it just me or are police officers burying their heads in the sand about this? I have enough service not to be as affected as much as most will do but no-one at my station is talking about this major issue.
We are just rolling over.
Last month less than 5's were abolished but PC's are still scrabbling for less than 15's.
Today the recall to duty was abolished.Where will it end?
30 May, 2012 18:36
Whilst we cannot spread disaffection etc...active campaigning does not apear to be prohibited.
Is there anything wrong in finding out all secondary business interests held by winsor, may, hutton, herbert etc....like the prudential etc and then writing to them...every officer stating they will not buy or use any service associated with their companies due to their association with these people. We are still free to make ethical choices on purchasing goods based on associations are we not? South African aparheid regime suffered as a result of boycotts by people.
It's the ballot box and active consumer choice that we need to use.
30 May, 2012 22:16
Thank goodness the frontline is unaffected though! In my station, Dorset we've endured two shift pattern changes in a year, gone from 5 squads off 12 to 3 squads of 12 on patrol (my maths says from 60 to 36 officers) and now they can't get people to take late notice overtime at time and a half leaving some shifts with less than 3 on nights.
That's where the 20% has gone.
03 June, 2012 11:17
Sadly,We'd get our contributions back, without our employers contribution or interest. It would have to then be paid into a private pension fund, or we'd be taxed on it, and then subjected to management charges and the market. You'd probably get £100 per month.
That's why we're over a barrel, as at any time we can opt out of the services system...but no-one ever does because of the above.
07 June, 2012 20:34
"Have YOU been mis-sold a career in the UK Police Force?" I can almost hear the nouveau law-firm message, playing back on my Ansaphone.
Warnings of the advent Cull came many years ago and you responded by mouthing foul obscenities at your detractors and critics. In the moments before that undignified drop from metaphorical gallows, none of your ilk could bid farewell with the class which profused from "Pardon me sir, I meant not to do it." I therefore doubt any plodder could have been mis-sold any career.
09 June, 2012 08:29
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