Working away from home

Q. What will I get paid if I have to work away from home?

A. Changes to the arrangements for officers serving away from their normal place of duty (including on mutual aid in another force area):

• These changes apply to those officers who are deployed away from their normal place of duty whether in or out of force a new ‘away from home overnight’ allowance of £50 will be introduced and will be payable for every night on which an officer is ‘held in reserve’.
• An officer is ‘held in reserve’ if they are serving away from their normal place of duty and is required to stay in a particular, specified place rather than being allowed to return home.
• An officer is not ’held in reserve’ if they are serving away from his or her normal place of duty only by reason of being on a training course or carrying out routine enquiries.
• Payment of a new hardship allowance of £30 per night if ’proper accommodation’ is not provided to an officer who is ‘held in reserve’. The definition of ‘proper accommodation’ is a single occupancy room with use of en suite bathroom facilities.
• The Secretary of State’s approval for the existing mutual aid arrangements set out in PNB circulars 86/15, 88/9 and 95/8 (often known as the ‘Hertfordshire agreement') is withdrawn. Officers on mutual aid should now be paid in accordance with the determinations for the hours they work, including where applicable overtime and travelling time.

Q. As part of my role, I’m being required to work away from my normal parade station. Can the Force do this on a regular basis and what are my rights?

A. Yes, the Force can require you to work away from your normal place of duty.

Under Regulation 22 Police Regulations & Determinations when you are working at a place other than your normal parade station then travel time has to be included into the working time. You can also claim travel expenses.

When calculating any allowance, it has been common practice for police forces to deduct the commuting distance between home and work from the total mileage claimed for work related duties. As of 1 June 2020, this method of calculation ceased and there will be no deduction for commuting distance, save where the journey is substantially the same as the daily commute and the distance travelled is less than ten miles longer in any one direction. In such cases you can only claim for the additional mileage travelled to the new location.