Annual leave restrictions: officers urged to keep records

25 October 2021

Officers on North Division are being advised to document the occasions when they have had their requests for annual leave turned down.

Derbyshire Police Federation is aware of a new policy decision on the North which restricts the number of officers allowed to take leave at any one time, and is not supportive of the move.

The restriction has been introduced to allow for further abstractions for training courses, protected study days and potential sickness and to ensure managed staffing levels are not breached with shift levels falling too low, which would then put further pressure on those officers working. Yet the Federation says there is a fine balance between getting it right and further affecting the current low morale of officers.  

“We would advise all officers to record when they have had their annual leave requests refused,” says Kirsty Bunn, secretary of Derbyshire Police Federation.

“This is the only way that it can be proved that perhaps the MSLs on division are incorrect or that more flexibility needs to be returned to supervisors managing their shifts.

“For every day off that you require as leave, even if you know this will not be approved, Federation insists that you submit a request on Gateways for it to be rejected. That way, a true picture of the difficulties can be seen for themselves.

“We appreciate this is a particularly difficult and pressured time for Derbyshire officers. Annual leave is precious and every effort should be afforded to individuals to allow them to take the leave at times appropriate to them. Additional help and support are available to every member who needs it. Please contact the Federation office by emailing derbyshire@polfed.org.”