Details

Published: 24 March 2011

MP’s Surgeries

House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA

Dear ......................

Federation Open Meeting – 19 September 2011

This is to inform you that the Police Federations within the West Midlands Region, being Staffordshire, West Midlands, West Mercia and Warwickshire, held the above mentioned open meeting at the Burlington Hotel, New Street, Birmingham.

The meeting was attended by over 400 police officers, 60 of which were from Staffordshire Police, who all wished to voice opinions on the proposed 20% cuts to the policing budget and the subsequent loss of 16,000 police officers nationwide.

Within Staffordshire the financial glide path to 2014-2015 signifies a loss of nearly 400 officers from a Force establishment of 2100 to 1770 police officers.

The meeting was themed around the publication of a booklet, which documented individual officers’ experiences whilst policing the August riots in the West Midlands region.

I have enclosed a copy of this booklet for your attention and I know you will agree that it is an impactive document which highlights the substantial bravery, commitment and goodwill that police officers invest in their role to protect the communities within our region.

This commitment and goodwill is tested to the limit when we have politicians, such as the Prime Minister, coming back from holiday claiming it was their actions that stopped the violence.  This is completely untrue as operational policing decisions are, and quite rightly should be, the decisions taken by senior police officers.

Even whilst the riots were still on going Mr. Cameron commented that this will not change the Government’s position on Police Reform.  This has been viewed by the rank and file police officers as derisory as to their commitment over this testing period of time.

No doubt a substantial number of police officers within Staffordshire will be communicating with you on this subject and as the Secretary of their representative body, I look forward to receiving your views on this document and what support you can continue to give to Staffordshire Police officers who remain committed to keeping our communities safe.

Yours sincerely,

Dean Colley
Joint Branch Board Secretary

Support From Unison

Paul McKeever, Chairman of the PFEW has recevied a supportive letter from the General Secretary of Unison wishing the Police Federation a successful Open Meeting on 13 July 2011.

Royal Commission

Colleagues,

Q)    Why do we want a Royal Commission into Policing?

A)    Because we want a Police Service that properly reflects the needs of the public it serves. The last Royal Commission took place way back in 1962 when our community and the policing of it was very different, (the Police did not even have radios back then), and a lot has changed in the mean time. Over the years there has been a lot of tinkering with the service, but nothing which has properly and objectively looked at Policing as a whole. Now, more than ever, is the time for a complete "root and branch" review to enable the Police to deliver a much better service to its communities.

We are rightly proud of the reputation and standing of the British Police Service the world over and together we will do all we can to preserve all that is good about it.

A senior Tory peer has called for a Royal Commission into policing - something which the Police Federation has also been urging, but which has been strenuously resisted by successive government ministers.

The call came from Viscount Bridgeman in a Lords debate on policing ahead of the Police Bill, which will introduce elected 'crime commissioners' to replace police authorities and create a new national crime agency in place of the Serious and Organised Crime Agency.

The peer, who is the Conservative's spokesman for home affairs in the Lords, said that there had been radical changes in virtually everything that affects police work since the last Royal Commission in 1962.

"Is it not time for another Royal Commission which would, I hope, pre-empt the need for a succession of piecemeal police legislation to which we have been subjected in the recent past?" he asked.

A Police Federation spokesman calls on everyone who cares about policing to support the campaign for a Royal Commission on Policing. " With the abolition of Police Authorities, the election of Police Commissioners, reports and recommendations by Hutton and Winsor and the selling of Police functions to the private sector it is clear that the future of Policing can only be established through a Royal Commission. This piecemeal approach to Policing must end. "

A Police Federation spokesman said: "Big things are asked of the police. But when it comes to the fundamentals, we seem to ask the wrong questions at the wrong time.

"After 40-plus years of knee-jerk legislation, it's time for some fresh thinking on the role of the police - what society's expectations are and how we police the 21st Century.

"The reforms which police have faced over recent years have been piecemeal. A new law here, a new regulation there - all lead to confusion of perspectives and policy.

"Not since the 1960s has government stopped and asked: 'What do we want our police to do, how do we want them to do it and what rights and responsibilities do the police and society have towards each other?'

"Given how society, culture, history, the economy and the country have changed since the 1960s, it's now time to take a long, hard look at all the issues and ask some somewhat overdue long-term questions."

TO ASSIST YOU WE HAVE NOW OBTAINED PRE-PRINTED POSTCARDS WHICH CAN BE SENT TO YOUR MP.  THESE WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE AT THE FORTHCOMING ROADSHOWS.  IF YOU CANNOT ATTEND PLEASE COLLECT ONE FROM THE FEDERATION OFFICE.

Lobbying Your Local MP

As part of the campaign strategy that is continuing to roll out, the Federation website now contains a lobbying tool which enables members to email their MPs directly.

This is the link which we encourage you to click on: http://www.polfed.org/get_involved.asp

The first campaign focuses on supporting  Early Day Motion No. 1604, the tabling of which was secured following contact that West Mids JBB had with one of their MPs.

It works by first entering a postcode. The user is then taken through to an area where they will see the template email that has been automatically produced and addressed to the appropriate MP for that postcode. The user can then simply enter their details and send it off or they can choose to change the wording if they so wish. We are planning to create other email campaigns in this way, each focussing on different topics – we will keep you posted. Lobbying your MP is important for a number of reasons:·

• To influence a decision which is about to be made by parliament;
• To gain their help with your campaign - MPs can take a number of actions: submit parliamentary questions, write a letter to the relevant minister, arrange a meeting with the minister responsible.
• To force an MP to show where their allegiances lie

You can lobby your MP by:·

• Setting up a meeting
• Writing a letter or email
• Using the local media

How to find out your MP’s contact details: Who is my MP?

You can find out who your local MP is by typing your postcode into this website theyworkforyou.com

You can write to your MP at the House of Commons by addressing your letter:

MP’s name
House of Commons
London SW1A 0AA

Staffordshire MP's

Details

Published: 08 March 2011

23 November 2011

The PAT Hearing concluded yesterday and their decision is now awaited.  No timescale has been given for the decision.   We will update you with any further developments.

9th May 2011

A letter has been sent to the PFEW Chairman from Tom Winsor regarding the timetable for Part 2 of his review.It indicates that the Consultation Document will be out shortly, that the consultation period will run until August 2011 and that the final report will be published in January 2012.

Tom Winsor states "I should not wish Part 2 to distract from this important work.  It is the opinion of a considerable proportion of the people who are interested in Part 2 that the scope of issues to be considered are too complex and potentially critical for the future of the police service for it to be rushed in the short time between the publication of Part 1 and the end of June 2011.  As I know you appreciate Part 1 was necessarily constrained by the need to recommend changes which, if accepted, could be brought into effect in time for the beginning of the new pay year in September 2011.  That timetable meant that it was necessary for the review to defer to Part 2 some of the more complex and difficult subjects in the terms of reference.

For these reasons I asked the Home Secretary for an extension of Part 2 to 31 January 2012.  She has agreed to this.  This additional time enables the review to include three months for consultation, to enable you and your colleagues to provide fully developed, considered and detailed submissions."  He went on to say "I envisage that Part 2 will consider and address some of the fundamental issues that have been facing policing for some time, including:

• the basic pay of police officers, including the quantification of the 'x-factor'
• whether invididual contribution or performance should affect pay
• whether skills or roles should affect pay
• polie officer entry routes, including considering direct-and multi-entry routes
• the length of the officer career, including a consideration of the idea of short-medium-and long-term commissions
• the negotiating mechanisms themselves; and
• the phased introduction of some or all of the recommended reforms."

3rd May 2011

A Federation newsletter is now available giving an update on both the Winsor and Hutton reports, also detailing what activity is  taking place.  The newsletter is available from your local Federation Representative or by following the link :

www.polfed.org

14th April 2011

On 7 April, at the first meeting of the PNB Pay & Conditions Working Group, the Official Side presented Staff Side with a letter in respect of the Winsor Recommendations.

This statement will be available on the PFEW website  www.polfed.org and we will keep you updated on the progress of the negotiations. I thank you for your continued support.

4th April 2011

Responding to the Written Ministerial Statement released today by the Home Secretary, Theresa May, stating all proposals put forward by Tom Winsor will go to the Police Negotiating Board (PNB) and Police Advisory Board (PAB) as a matter of urgency, Paul McKeever, Chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales says;

“Whilst these are merely proposals at this stage we remain extremely disappointed that Tom Winsor's report fails to demonstrate any evidence based methodology or reasoning. Even more disappointing is that the Home Secretary is choosing to put forward a flawed report of personal views, not evidence, to the Police Negotiating Board.

"We expect the Police Negotiating Board will give each proposal the in-depth analysis and consideration it deserves before any decision on any of the proposals is made. To make any changes to police terms and conditions, the unique working arrangements and special relationship the police have in society must at all times be borne in mind.

“Whilst police officers understand that these are just proposals at this stage, they are putting their last ounce of faith in this government to honour the processes and procedures in place to protect their unique working status. It is therefore incumbent on the Home Secretary that she honours the decisions of the negotiating machinery.

“Many of the proposals put forward in the Winsor Report cause grave concern and consternation amongst the rank and file, particularly as some officers would suffer a pay cut of up to £4000.  It is clear that police officers will be the biggest victims of the financial cuts in the public sector as this would be in addition to a two year pay freeze and possible increased pension costs. The 20% budget cuts imposed by this government will not only see a reduction in the numbers of officers fighting crime but will also impact on the unique working arrangements of police officers which reflect the dangerous and often thankless job they do.”

21st March 2011

On Friday 18th March 2011, we became aware of the circulation of an e-mail communication from Tom Winsor to Chief Constables requesting their urgent assistance and co-operation in ensuring that their police officers and staff are properly informed about the likely effects of the implementation of his review of pay and conditions. He asked them to circulate a letter and a ready reckoner that is also available on his review website, which he states officers and staff can use to dispel misleading information about the effects that his proposals will have on police pay.      This resulted in my communication below, from which it is clearly evident that Tom Winsor is being selective as to the information he wants officers to focus on and is a blatant attempt to generate support for his proposals by creating uncertainty and division between officers. This is particularly disappointing considering that the Home Secretary has yet to inform the Police Negotiating Board as to which of his proposals she considers should be the subject of negotiation. The adoption of this strategy by Tom Winsor clearly shows that his review, which proposes to remove almost £500M from police pay, can now be seen for exactly what it is, a cynical attack to reduce police pay and conditions.

It is important that you are aware of the full facts and not fooled by this misleading information provided by Winsor. I have therefore asked your local Federation to bring this information to the attention of your Chief Constable, requesting that they give my communication equal prominence with that of the Winsor Pay Calculator in any of their communications, including the force website. I would hope that as good employers and leaders of the service, Chief Constables would want to ensure that their officers are aware of the full facts. I await confirmation of their support and will keep you informed of their co-operation, however it would be inappropriate not to congratulate Simon Ash, the Chief Constable of Suffolk, who I understand is the first to refuse. We can only hope that this is not an indication of his support for the Winsor proposals, particularly as he represents ACPO on the Official Side of PNB, although one would hope that he would represent the views all the Chief Constables not just his own.

To ensure that you are fully informed, I also include below my earlier communication of 11th March that includes previously circulated information identifying the detrimental impact the Winsor proposals will have on officers’ pay and conditions.

We are grateful for your continued support during this difficult time for policing.

18th March 2011

Dear Colleagues

I would like to draw your attention to the following website which shows the effect on an officer’s income of the Winsor recommendations: http://review.police.uk/publications/review-recommendations.

After inputting the required information, many members will find that their pay falls as a result of these changes.  Even for those whose pay appears to rise, it is important to remember that these calculations only show changes to income in cash terms.  Inflation is currently running at 5% and is forecast to be close to this level for at least the next 12 months, so the value of basic pay will fall as a result of the two-year pay freeze which the Government wishes to impose upon us.  These calculations also take no account of the fact that under the Winsor recommendations officers will not move up their pay increments. This means that if an officer is not at the top of his or her pay scale, their pay will actually be lower than it would otherwise have been, despite any increases that result from Mr Winsor’s recommendations. I should also point out, for your information, that while Mr Winsor factors in pension contribution increases, these have yet to be discussed by the Police Negotiating Board, and we have been assured that discussions will take place there before any increases are implemented. In common with all other employees, though, from April 2011 there will be several changes to the income tax and national insurance regimes. In particular:

• The income tax personal allowance will rise to £7,475, but the salary level at which employees begin to pay the higher rate of income tax (40%) will fall from £37,400 per annum to £35,000 per annum.
• Employee national insurance contribution (NIC) rates will rise from 11% to 12% for those who earn between £139 a week and up to £817 a week and from 1% to 2% for those who earn anything over £817 per week.

The effect of this is that employees with total earnings of more than £35,000 a year will find themselves paying more in income tax and national insurance contributions.  I hope that you find this information helpful to understand the true impact of the Winsor recommendations on you take home pay. The PFEW will engage fully on negotiations over these recommendations, but we have no intention of agreeing to any changes which would see a fall in our members’ pay and conditions of service. As I have tried to do throughout this process, I will continue to keep you updated on developments.

Dowload The Winsor Review (Adobe PDF)

Details

Published: 14 January 2011

May 2011

The revised commutation factors for the Police Pension Scheme (PPS) 1987,  have just been issued by the Government Actuary’s Department (GAD). The new factors will apply to any member who retires on or after 20 April 2011.  The factors for all ages have been increased.

However, please note that, as some of the revised commutation factors are now higher than 20:1, there may be tax implications for some members. This is because the value of the commuted lump sum may now exceed the maximum permitted by HMRC, which is currently 25% of the total value of benefits vested. If the commuted lump sum does exceed the HMRC limit of 25%, the amount of the lump sum in excess of that limit will be deemed an unauthorised payment and subject to a 40% tax charge.

I would recommend members seek independent financial advice on their own particular circumstances. Disappointingly we were only informed of these changes by the Home Office yesterday.

I understand that they will shortly promulgate a Home Office Circular on the revised commutation factors, which I will ensure is circulated.

To view the new commutation factors please visit the national website www.polfed.org

The Chairman’s and General Secretary’s office are taking every opportunity when meeting with parliamentarians, media and other stakeholders to discuss in detail our concerns about government plans for police pensions as well  as the threat of detrimental change to police officer terms and conditions of service.

This week (14th January) Police Review is highlighting the ‘Protect the Police Pension’ campaign.

We have been speaking with Police Review about this campaign which aims to highlight the concerns police officers have about possible future changes to police pensions.

Please find attached a PDF of a letter that will appear in Police Review that can be printed off by members, completed and sent off to their local MP.

We support this campaign and in Police Review there will be a guest editorial by Chairman, Paul McKeever, in relation to this.

Download Police Pensions Letter (Adobe PDF)

Details

Published: 02 August 2010

May 2011

A Federation newsletter detailing the current activity is now available from your local representative or by following the link:

www.polfed.org

March 2011

Lord Hutton of Furness has today published his final report setting out his recommendations to the Government on public service pension arrangements that are sustainable and affordable in the long term and fair to both the public service workforce and the taxpayer, while protecting accrued rights.The final report is available today via the following link:

www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/pensionscommission

Please press F5 to refresh the page if you find it is not available.

Responding to the Hutton Review of pensions published today, Simon Reed, Vice-Chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, says:

"This is a further kick in the teeth for police officers. In a matter of weeks we have been told we'll face a two-year pay freeze, the Winsor Report which may see officers losing thousands of pounds per annum and now this.

"Does this government really want a Dad's Army of policing? Whilst experience counts, the dangers for the public of sending in 60-year old police officers to deal with public order situations and Friday night drunken brawls seems obvious.

"We have yet to meet with the Home Office to discuss the specifics of what officers will be expected to pay, but let's not forget we already had changes to the police pension scheme in 2006. To that end, officers are already expected to work longer and receive less."

October 2010

On 7 October 2010 the Independent Public Service Pensions Commission led by Lord Hutton has published its interim report. This report can be found at: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/hutton_pensionsinterim_071010.pdf

We are informed by the Home Office that the Government will give careful consideration to Lord Hutton’s recommendations before responding to the report. However, on initial reading of the 176-page report, the emerging theme is that “if the Government wishes to make short-term savings, then raising contribution rates would be the most effective way”, as opposed to reducing the level of benefits. The Commission also recommends that, in doing so the Government “should have regard to protecting the low paid and should not introduce contribution rates for the Armed Forces at this time.”

Aside from this, the recommendations are not scheme-specific and there is no suggestion as to how far contribution rates should rise. This means that there is no definite indication as to the implications, if any, for police pensions. In its report, the Commission concludes that the cost of funding public sector schemes has risen, within an increasing burden being shouldered by the tax-payer. According to the Commission, in many public sector pension schemes, at the time when they were initially established employees paid approximately half of the cost of funding those schemes, while today they pay somewhere between a fifth and a third of the cost of accrual. Although the Commission does not make this explicit, members of police pension schemes are at the top end of this range. The report also notes the relatively high contribution rate of police officers. While drawing no conclusions from this, it is also worth noting that the report contains far more analysis of the Local Government and NHS Pension Schemes.

The Government will now consider Lord Hutton’s recommendations before deciding on whether or not to accept this recommendation. Our understanding is that it is then for each scheme funder to consider the how they will take these recommendations forward, if accepted by Government. In the case of policing this would have to go through the Police Negotiating Board. However, you will also be aware that the Home Secretary has appointed Tom Winsor to undertake an independent review of police pay and conditions and it is possible that the recommendations of Lord Hutton may be explored within that separate review. We also still await the outcome of the Government Actuaries Department valuation of the Police Pension Scheme that is to take effect from April 2011.   Lord Hutton will also produce a final report in time for the Budget in 2011, which will look at longer-term structural reform of public sector pensions. This may include whether or not it is appropriate for schemes to move from a final salary basis to that of a career average. It will also look at whether there needs to be changes to retirement ages within each scheme.I will keep you informed of further developments.

The Staff Side response to the review of Public Sector Pensions by Lord Hutton is now available on the PFEW website.

www.polfed.org

Details

Published: 24 May 2010

24th November 2010

Preferencing of Police Officers

Negotiations have been held between the Federation and Communities First Team over the preferencing policy and proforma that will soon be distributed and utilised for posts during the Communities First consultation stage.

A point of clarification is needed as to who will be preferenced, which is as follows;

Officers to be preferenced

These will be Officers, of all ranks, who will experience a change to their posts as a result of the force restructuring following Communities First. This is expected to include all Officers of Inspector and Chief Inspector rank. Officers of Constable or Sergeant rank, whose posts will remain as a substantial role, will not be preferenced.

For example, Officers within an IMU or NPT post, who are more than likely to remain within those posts, will not be subject to a preferencing exercise.

Those Officers that are subject to preferencing are well advised to study the policy, which indicates the procedure to be followed, including the right of appeal if required.

16th November 2010

Communities First Consultation

Frequently asked questions and answers

1. What is the current position regarding pensions?
   The interim report for the Hutton Public Pensions review has now been released, with the final report being due in February 2010. There are two main solutions being suggested.Short Term SolutionAn increase in subscription rates being paid into pension schemes by members. Hutton does clarify that public pension subscriptions range from about 6% upwards, he does stress that the Police Service do already pay one of the highest rates of 11%, however the maximum allowed by legislation is 15%, hence there is room to increase our subscription rate.Long Term SolutionA move away from a final salary scheme to an average over term of career scheme, hence those Officers who have been promoted to higher ranks are more likely to be effected as an average will be taken and not just the best year of your last three in service as we have now!!This is just an interim report and is not yet set in stone as to the result of the recommendations.
2. What about the pensions tax threshold?
   Legislation is forthcoming to move the threshold allowance for the amount that can be placed into a pension pot, in any one year from £250,000 to £50,000. National Police federation are current awaiting legal advice on how this will affect federated ranks. Initial analysis suggests that Officers may well receive a detrimental effect if they are promoted from above the rank of Sergeant within their double accrual years of service, (last 10 years).
3. What’s happening with the A19 process?
   A19 is a pension regulation whereby a serving Police Officer with over 30 years pensionable service can be removed from position within the service, by a Police Force on grounds of forcewide efficiency.Some forces are starting to administer A19, namely North Wales, Strathclyde and Surrey.  However within Staffordshire no moves have been made by the force towards administering this process. As a federation our intention would be to ensure that A19 was administered fairly, without any discrimination to individual Officers. If not legal action will be considered.
4. Where do we find the Communities First packages?
   Updates for all Communities First packages can be found on the Staffordshire Police intranet. The Joint has appointed Leads on all packages involving federation members, details of which can be found on the federation website. All leads are actively involved in negotiations for the work packages and would welcome any feedback from Officers concerning their thoughts or experiences of the process.
5. There is a lack of meaningful consultation for the Communities First project between the management and staff, what can be done about it ?
   The opportunity is there for all members to feedback via either the communities first team, local management or federation leads. If you have particular frustrations we urge you to use these channels of communication. The lack of information for consultation is something which is coming through loud and clear from members and has already been stressed to the communities first team. The Chief Constable has given his assurance that consultation will be achieved and if necessary the federation will hold him to this commitment.
6. What is happening regarding the 2x2x2 shift pattern?
   This is one of the work packages, communities first are currently running various shift systems through the Ximes software package, which matches demand to resources, we are currently awaiting an update. The Chief Constable has stressed that there is no intention to get rid of the current shift pattern if it still meets our demand characteristics, also he wishes to remain with a forcewide shift system.
7. Northern CID are being asked to preference without knowing what shift system they are likely to be working, how can this be right?
   This is an issue that has now been fed back to the CID representatives on work packages and clarification is currently being sought on the updated situation as to shift systems. It is agreed that the decision to preference should be made on the best information available and refers back to the meaningful consultation issue. This remains an area of concern for the Joint Branch Board.
8. What’s happening regarding leave over the Olympics period?
   This is an issue which is currently under negotiation with the force, the federation position is that all Officers should be in a position to take some period of annual leave over the Olympics period of June to September 2012. It must be expected that some restrictions will be in place with the nationally agreed abstraction rate being 7%. It is expected that Officers will be allowed to carry additional annual leave days over into 2013 above the 5 days already allowed. The figure of which has not yet been decided.

19th October 2010

One of the main questions being asked concerning the Communities First project is "What's happening to the current 222 shift system?"

The current position is that the force have purchased the Ximes PDA software package which allows analysis of current shift working patterns.

It will be able to compare demand characteristics and police officer numbers with a shift pattern to produce information on how good a fit a shift system is. The software is currently being set up and will in the near future be used to test response policing shift systems, including our present "222 system" for continued viability with the expected reduction in officer numbers.

There is no desire by the force to throw out the current 5 shift system, but they will be testing other systems, including those containing 4 shifts. The Chief Constable has stated that he wishes to remain with a corporate shift pattern, however small tweaks may be introduced to meet the demands of particular unified policing areas. Although no shift pattern has been preferred for negotiation, the force are keen to remain with an introduction date of April, coinciding with Communities First, for any change to the current shift pattern.

We have stressed to them the need for full consultation on this issue as current Variable Shift Arrangement protocols do require the agreement of the majority of officers who will be required to work the revised system, including the agreement of the Joint Branch Board.

The Joint Branch are fully aware of the importance of this issue to all federated ranks and are working hard on your behalf to achieve an acceptable outcome. You will be informed of any further updates as soon as possible.

13th September 2010

Following the Command Team meeting on Friday 10th September 2010 Quality Assurances Packages covering four areas will be placed on the Force MYSPI system.

These give an outline of the direction the force will be taking in the restructuring.

The Federation have raised their concerns in these Quality Assurance Packages;

1. local policing
2. protective services
3. operational support
4. organisational support

2nd June 2010

As part of the formal consultation process with the force as they progress the Communities First Project, the JBB held an extraordinary JBB meeting on 1st June 2010 where they received a presentation from Ch.Supt. Mark Bates in relation to the work packages being progressed by various leads.

Following the presentation the JBB discussed all the work packages and identified individuals with the necessary skills and experience to assist, on your behalf, with the formal consultation process.  The JBB members identified are available to hear your specific concerns and will raise issues with the force prior to any decisions being made.

The Chief Constable will provide many opportunities for issues to be raised and discussed in various forums.  This is important work that the JBB are performing on your behalf and we will have a sincere opportunity of influencing the way in which the force adopt change for the future.  The force have provided opportunities for all individuals within the force to raise their concerns on the various Communities First blogs and the individual blog of DCC Paxton.

In order for your concerns to be heard we suggest you initially correspond with the force and any further concerns you are able to raise directly with the Federation representative identified on the work package or of course wiht us here at the Federation Office.

It must be recognised that whilst we have this opportunity of consultation with the force the final decisions made will be made by the Chief Constable and Police Authority but we have been assured that all our concerns that are raised will be given consideration during the decision making process.

You will be well aware following the launch of the force's Communities First Project by the Chief Constable that our Deputy Chief Constable, Mr. Paxton, head the Communities First Project Board and he, through his Communities First Blog, is publishing regular updates.

As your representative body and staff association we have engaged with the force and have ensured that the force publish regular updates and seek feedback from officers and police staff as the work unfolds.  The force have, at our request, ensured that there is the ability for individuals to raise concerns and ask questions directly with them by means of the FAQ section, which is where any member of staff is able to register their views and concerns.  In addition to that the force have agreed to hold focus groups and interviews on a one by one basis as part of the programme work.

The Executive Team and the Communities First Programme Team are meeting with managers across the county to discuss the future development within the force and they will be publishing summarised versions of the presentations within Mr. Paxton's blog.  Managers will be given an opportunity to seek feedback, ask questions and to give their views to the force.  Mr. Paxton has agreed to publish those details in due course.

You will be invited to give your views by Mr. Paxton within his blog and we encourage you to do so as the force wish to make informed decisions.

We recommend you visit Mr. Paxton's blog regularly to be kept fully appraised as to the progress of the work the force are undertaking.

The Staff Association, Superintendents' Association, Unision are all part of the consultation process and are all participating on your behalf at the project board level.  The Chief Constable has stated that there will be 5 opportunities for the Federation to raise concerns on behalf of their members.

• first of all there are informal meetings between the Federation and the force
• the Federation have representatives on the Communities First Project Board
• the Federation have monthly Trade Union and Staff Association Meetings with the force
• we have quarterly JNCC meetings and finally
• Police Authority and Consultative meetings which we attend.

The force have recently published, as part of the Communities First project, a number of work packages to further progress the vast amount of work that still needs to be done as the force changes shape in readiness for a reducing budget and reducing staff numbers.  The work packages have been published by Mr. Paxton on the 13th May 2010 and the Federation, on your behalf, will be engaged in a number of these packages, working with the force to ensure that the views of the work force are made known to the decision makers.

Members of the Joint Branch Board of all ranks will be participating on your behalf and we will be utilising those JBB members with particular knowledge and skills in relevant areas.

We will keep you posted as things develop throughout this latest news section.

We do encourage you to raise concerns with either the force or ourselves.