I was on the 1987 Pension Scheme. When I reach 30 years’ service aged 52, my lumpsum starts to drop by about £4000 a year if I don’t take my pension at that point. If I retire at that point my 2015 pension is reduced by around 50 per cent due to actuarial reductions. That simply doesn’t seem fair that the pension pots are fighting against each other. What is PFEW doing to get that rectified?

John Partington (JP): “Referred to as the pensions trap, we have already commissioned three senior barristers who are all KCs to look at that for us. We made the decision earlier this week at the National Council that we are now looking for test cases to move forward because we would be looking at putting that through the court system to see whether or not we can get any movement to get that changed.”

Re the 1987 Pension Scheme, is there a monthly payment option?

JP: “It is down to individual forces. You also don’t have to pay it back now; you can wait until you’re retired and pay it back from your lump sum.

“We are trying to make inroads regarding the 4 per cent interest rate and are conversing with the Government in regards to having the interest removed.”

What is the Federation doing around officer welfare and wellbeing?

Tiff referenced the Police Covenant, highlighting it was implemented due to PFEW submitting a blueprint to stakeholders.

She added: “The Federation has welfare and wellbeing at its heart, locally and nationally, there is so much work that is being done out there in the local branches for the direct contact and support - not just for physical injury. A lot is talked about physical injury, but it’s also about mental injury.”

We asked Government to find new money to support those physically or psychologically traumatised by the recent violence and atrocities this summer by funding Police Treatment Centre (PTC) treatment, which was agreed.

PFEW continues to push the Government to fund PTCs as part of the Police Covenant.

What is PFEW doing to restore officers’ trust in the national office?

Mukund referred to the previous session on PFEW’s transformation agenda, which you can read the synopsis of here.

The importance of transparency was highlighted, whereby moving forward we will share the advice being given around matters such as pensions, for instance, the information shared above on the pensions trap.

“One of the lessons we have learnt with the previous employment tribunal judgement on pensions is we didn’t share the advice. It is important members can see how decisions are being made,” he stated.

Are we in the best place to negotiate if we’re not at the table?

JP explained we are currently staying out of the PRRB, so we can continue to press for collective bargaining, as we have no ability to negotiate at present.

We are continuing to have these conversations as part of our Fair Pay and Industrial Rights campaign and will keep members in the loop as much as possible.

What are we doing in terms of overtime for inspecting ranks?

JP: “Analysing data from our recent Inspecting Ranks Survey, there will be a specific ask to the PRRB at the end of January – made via the NPCC – to firstly get them protection around shift patterns and get the base level pay right for chief inspectors and inspectors because we don’t think they are at the right level at the moment.

“We’re looking at some further protections around once you’ve worked so many hours per week then that reverts back to overtime payments.”

Has the #SimplifyDG6 campaign stalled as there are mentions of AI tools being used to redact case files at the pre-charge stage?

Tiff: “Rest assured it has not stalled. We have cross-party support and as the Shadow Home Secretary explained earlier, he was pro.

“In the election period, they essentially had to rush through changes to legislation before purdah and recess. There were many Bills to get through, so our amendment didn’t make the final reel – but it doesn’t mean it is over. It continues and we have sponsors in the House of Lords and House of Commons, and we will be meeting with MPs in the coming weeks where it will continue to be raised.”

Issuing an Annual Benefits Statement on pensions for members has been a mess, what is PFEW doing about this?

JP: “We pointed out to the Government previously they wouldn’t meet the deadlines being set. We are working to rectify this problem. The main issue is there is a fallback position for the forces on the pension schemes at the moment. Although the pension statement should have been given this year, the actual deadline date is next year, but they should honour their commitment.

“We currently work with the Home Office Scheme Advisory Board for pensions, and the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s unit on pensions. Both of those we have been working with to try and rectify this position. We are doing as much as we can. The picture is getting better and hopefully moving forward it will be better.”

Reflecting on the violent disorder this summer, is there an acceptable level of injury because of financial restraint?

Tiff: “There is never an acceptable level of injury for any of our colleagues. It can never be seen as just part of the job. Lessons have been learnt from those events back in 2011 and prior to that but we also have to remember the officers facing these incidents were not around back then.

“With forces up and down the country a lot has been done in terms of mutual aid, allowances, mobilisation. Our reps and national portfolio are working with national bodies to ensure there is greater representation for you, greater allowances, and better conditions. There is a review launched by Government and we will be engaging with the review to feedback all the lessons to ensure members are protected should this ever happen again.”