Force Benevolent Fund offers lifeline

9 February 2019

For a small monthly subscription, police officers and staff can sign up for all the benefits of the Force Benevolent Fund.

Membership of the fund costs just £1 a month for police staff and £1.15 for police officers.

For that, you get the peace of mind of knowing the fund will be there for you should you find yourself in need.

It’s not just about comforts when sick, maternity grants and death grants (or visits to Flint House for sick or injured police officers) but also a safety net which you may think you will never need but then none of us knows what is round the corner.

In the words of one subscriber: “I had cause to approach the fund recently as my circumstances had changed through no fault of my own and I was struggling. The forms you have to fill in are no different to any other loan in fact they are less intrusive and quicker than most.

"Once submitted my request was dealt with within a few days and the money was in the bank by the end of the week. It is all confidential (the committee don’t know the name of the person who has applied) and the fund administrator, Dominique Allen, was brilliant at explaining how it works and helping to fill in the application.

“Loans of up to £9,000 are available if the situation requires it and they also give grants in situations of real difficulty. All cases are treated individually so the repayment plan is tailored to suit you – for example, you can pay a nominated amount back every month from your wages or pay a lump sum when your circumstances improve.

“Even if you are one of the lucky ones who never needs to apply, you will know that your contribution is going towards helping your colleagues at the times when they need it most.

“So, if you’re not already a member check it out on the intranet and fill in the forms or talk to Dominique Allen and she’ll tell you all about it. You’ll never miss that money from your wages every month but there may come a time when, like me, you’ll be so glad you joined.”

Death Benefit Scheme

We would all like to think that we will live to a ripe all age and so we probably ignore the adverts currently bombarding us on the television and in newspapers about the exorbitant costs of a funeral.

But this is not always the case, as we can all testify with instances in our personal lives where somebody dies at a relatively young age. Please think of those you would leave behind and the initial problems they would be faced with, bills, mortgage payments and so on.

The Force’s Death Benefit Scheme will cost you £15 following the death of a subscribing member and, at the current rate, there would be an amount of around £26,000 raised for that member’s family to help with the immediate concerns. It does not matter how they die.

Should the Force be unfortunate to have more than one death in a calendar month, there is a provision for deductions to be done over consecutive months.

There will be a £2.00 premium paid annually in June to support a self-indemnifying fund to help the Death Benefit Scheme.

If you want to join the Death Benefit Scheme, please contact the Benevolent Fund administrator, Dominique Allen, via email - dominique.allen@leicestershire.pnn.police.uk - who will send you a form.