Police Offered Right to Strike

[TheDaddy]

Maybe and perhaps the first thing they could strike over could be the abolished overtime and bonus payments.

Theresa May, the Home Secretary, announced that "radical" steps were needed to overhaul outdated policing practices and said that "nothing will be off-limits" in the pay review.

In the face of severe public spending cuts, ministers and police chiefs believe that front-line jobs can be saved by slashing hundreds of millions of pounds worth of overtime bills, performance-related bonuses and "Spanish practices" within the service.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...to-strike.html

Seriously this is potentially the biggest and most far reaching of all our cost cutting measures yet, you only have to look at Equador's recent police strike to see what can happen.

http://travel.usatoday.com/destinati...pagos/125933/1

[Derek]

Worst. Idea. Ever.

The whole reason the Police get overtime, which is nowhere near the level the Daily Mail thinks it is, is to stop the Police being shafted right, left and centre when it comes to shifts being changed to cover things like football matches, demonstrations and VIP visits.
Besides apart from Bank holidays and other rare occurrences OT is payed at time and a third, not exactly a huge incentive and again despite what the Daily Fail claim the Police don't get a couple of hundred quid for answering a phone call on a day off.

These still get covered but it ensures a few weeks warning is given rather than just a blanket email a couple of days in advance saying "BTW any plans you had for the weekend, cancel them"

Of course for major, spontaneous events like 7/7, the Glasgow Airport attacks etc. Cover is still there and that's accepted as part of the unique nature of the job. If the Police get changed to being employees you could get people walking off after their shift ends.

Some things could go. The current 'bonus' system is divisive and could easily be scrapped (and before anyone says that's sour grapes I qualify for it and would happily give it up), the upper levels are pretty top heavy and you could easily lose the entire Chief Superintindent and ACC levels without much fuss.

---------- Post added at 07:28 ---------- Previous post was at 07:06 ----------

I was just reading the Daily Mails predictable anti Police scribblings about this. They've got a list of what and when the Police can claim in overtime.

They haven't done too badly. Out the 6 items in the list they only have 3 wrong.

[Osem]

It'll never happen and quite rightly so. Those who join the police, armed forces etc. know the terms of the job and accept that when they sign up. As for other their other conditions of employment, I see no problem with nothing being ruled out until it's been thoroughly examined.

[Ignitionnet]

I'm wondering how much of this is Government push-back after the Police Chiefs decided to run with prophecies of doom in response to having their beloved paper pushers taken off them and being forced to nick people for a living instead of massaging statistics in direct contradiction of home office direction.

If the police chiefs can talk out of their hindmost to protect their little empires no reason HMG can't put the frighteners up them in return. If it gets them to do as they have been told and stop following the previous government's obsession with paperwork and inefficiency it's all good.

http://inspectorgadget.wordpress.com...iew-stay-calm/

[Arthurgray50@blu]

Being a copper in the hardest job anyone can do on the streets, my son is one and he fully deserves any money he gets.

He can only claim overtime, if he works past 30 minutes over his alloted shift, he quite often works 12 hour shift, especially doing paperwork, which has to be word perfect, so that it passes various depts, before it goes to court.

I would suggest anyone who thinks being a copper is childplay, go into your local nick and ask if you can go out for one shift, to see how they work, we need MORE police officers and staff out there to fight crime, which will increase when the cuts come in - and although he doesn't want to strike, he would if it mean't saving a colleagues job.

[Ignitionnet]

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

Being a copper in the hardest job anyone can do on the streets, my son is one and he fully deserves any money he gets.

He can only claim overtime, if he works past 30 minutes over his alloted shift, he quite often works 12 hour shift, especially doing paperwork, which has to be word perfect, so that it passes various depts, before it goes to court.

I would suggest anyone who thinks being a copper is childplay, go into your local nick and ask if you can go out for one shift, to see how they work, we need MORE police officers and staff out there to fight crime, which will increase when the cuts come in - and although he doesn't want to strike, he would if it mean't saving a colleagues job.

Look at the bit of your post I put in bold. Enough said.

Arthur, whilst I sympathise with your sentiment, I feel we need more police officers on the ground, not more police officers - there is a difference.

[Mr Angry]

Originally Posted by Ignitionnet

Look at the bit of your post I put in bold. Enough said.

Yes, quite.

Sentiments no doubt echoed by the Birmingham six, Guildford four, Barry George and many others who have fallen foul of a system rife with systemic failures as far as evidentiary paperwork is concerned.

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Derek

Worst. Idea. Ever.

What worse than this one?

Potential police officers in the UK's biggest force may be asked to work as volunteers for free for 18 months before being taken on

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-...8_Months_First

[Ignitionnet]

Originally Posted by Mr Angry

Yes, quite.

Sentiments no doubt echoed by the Birmingham six, Guildford four, Barry George and many others who have fallen foul of a system rife with systemic failures as far as evidentiary paperwork is concerned.

Indeed, if the system is the failure that's what needs changing.

I was however more referring to the well documented excess paperwork burdens placed on police which continue despite Home Office requests to cease them.

Originally Posted by TheDaddy

What worse than this one?

Potential police officers in the UK's biggest force may be asked to work as volunteers for free for 18 months before being taken on

Funny how this bit is never mentioned in the headline

The Met's new model would see most new applicants working for 18 months doing 16 hours a month as volunteers, while also being given training.

Now, in an ideal world, it should be a mixture of direct entrants (as present) and those willing to fit it in with their day job to see if it suits them/they suit the police, but unfortunately, at this time, it's not an ideal world.

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Hugh

Funny how this bit is never mentioned in the headline
Now, in an ideal world, it should be a mixture of direct entrants (as present) and those willing to fit it in with their day job to see if it suits them/they suit the police, but unfortunately, at this time, it's not an ideal world.

Problem as well is that you never do 16 hours a month, if you make an arrest towards the end of your shift you have to stay until he/she is processed, if you have to go to court the hours spent there don't count towards your 16 hours etc Plus there quite a few professions that bar you from applying as I found to my cost a couple of months ago when I tried to sign up.

Originally Posted by TheDaddy

Problem as well is that you never do 16 hours a month, if you make an arrest towards the end of your shift you have to stay until he/she is processed, if you have to go to court the hours spent there don't count towards your 16 hours etc Plus there quite a few professions that bar you from applying as I found to my cost a couple of months ago when I tried to sign up.

Thanks for the clarification.

btw, what professions (besides pimp, drug-dealer, burglar, etc )

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Hugh

Thanks for the clarification.

btw, what professions (besides pimp, drug-dealer, burglar, etc )

Applicants within the following occupations are exempt from joining the Special Constabulary:

• magistrates
• police authority members
• clerks to the justices
• clerks to the courts
• members of a police force maintained by a commercial organisation or private company
• holders (and partners or spouse) of liquor licences
• managers of licensed premises and their spouses
• licensees of betting and gaming establishments
• lottery promoters
• bailiffs
• members of private security organisations
• private detectives and enquiry agents
• traffic wardens and civil enforcement officers
• school crossing patrollers
• serving members of HM Forces

This list is not exhaustive and there may be other exceptions which may arise.

It's from Devon & Cornwall but it's pretty much the same for all, I think

http://www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/...constable.aspx