Compulsory Severance: “Remember the dangers we face”

THE Home Secretary should remember “the dangers of the job we do” when deciding whether to grant chief constables the power to make police officers redundant.

Rachel Baines, chairman of Lancashire Police Federation, said it appears “the lady is not for budging on compulsory severance” after Theresa May’s address to the Federation conference.

Ms Baines described the speech as “uninspiring but a stepping stone to building bridges with us”.

“She did not have a lot to say but there was nothing too controversial either,” said Ms Baines.

“She made reference to the fact that other public sector workers don’t have the right to strike but they are still subject to compulsory severance so it looks like she has already thought about that one.

“But she didn’t really make the link between that and the dangers of the job we do. People will find that quite disappointing. There was a hope from officers today that she would give us a concession on that. But that was not to be the case.”

Discussions around the compulsory severance recommendation at the Police Negotiating Board are due to conclude in July after the Police Arbitration Tribunal (PAT) suggested the proposal should be deferred for further deliberations.

After hearing the Home Secretary pledge to reduce the amount of time police officers spend with mental health patients, Ms Baines added: “Any assistance she can give us towards the mental health issue would be appreciated. Police officers are spending a lot of time dealing with the mental health issue for a number of years.

“If Theresa May puts some money her mouth is with that and does something to assist officers, that would be really well received.”

Overall, Ms Baines felt it was a positive conference. She added: “I think we have got to move on from what has happened in the past and start looking to the future.

“The review of the Police Federation can only be a good thing and it’s nice to see that the Home Secretary is backing us in that review and wants to work with us in the future.”