For full details and current rates see Regulation 34 and Annex U, of Police Regulations 2003 or contact your JBB.

Motor vehicle allowances

Motor vehicle allowances for members using their own vehicles for duty are currently payable at “Essential User” or “Casual User” rates according to the member's designation. However, with effect from 1 September 2016 the rates payable to all users whether essential or casual will be the HMRC rates prevailing from time to time (current rates are 45p per mile for the first 10,000 miles and 25p per mile for mileage over 10,000 miles in any tax year). Details of the HMRC rates can be found on the HMRC website here.

This change is in accordance with the recommendations of the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) which have been accepted by the Home Secretary. The current structure and values for the lump sums payable to an essential user are to remain unaltered.

Dog handlers' allowances

A dog handler's allowance - designed to compensate for caring for a dog on rest days and public holidays - is payable where a police dog is kept and cared for at the member's home. A further 25 per cent of the allowance is paid for each additional police dog kept at home.

The allowance payable from 1 September 2015 is £2,196 per annum. This allowance is due to be increased to £2,217 per annum with effect from 1 September 2016 in accordance with the recommendations of the PRRB which have been accepted by the Home Secretary.

London Allowance

London Allowance is payable to members of the City of London or Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) at a rate determined by the Commissioner of the relevant force with regard to location and retention needs, following consultation with the joint branch board or Joint Executive Committee, and not exceeding the maximum rates set out below.

The maximum higher rate (£4,338 pa since December 2004) is payable to officers appointed on or after 1 September 1994 and not receiving housing/transitional rent allowances; the maximum standard rate (£1,011 pa since December 2004) is payable to officers appointed before 1 September 1994 who will qualify for housing/transitional rent allowances. London allowance is paid at an hourly rate to qualifying part-time members.

London Transitional Supplement

This allowance is paid to a member of the City of London or MPS who joined before 1 September 1994 and who receives a half-rate housing allowance or a flat-rate transitional rent allowance. The allowance is paid at a rate determined by the Commissioner of the relevant force with regard to location and retention needs, following consultation with the Joint Branch Board or Joint Executive Committee, and not exceeding £1,000 pa. The allowance is paid at an hourly rate to a qualifying parttime member.

South East England Allowance

This allowance is paid to members of Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Surrey and Thames Valley forces appointed on or after 1 September 1994 and not receiving housing/transitional rent allowance. The allowance is paid at a rate determined by the Chief Constable of the relevant force with regard to location and retention needs, following consultation with the joint branch board, and not exceeding in these forces £2,000 pa. This maximum figure is due to increase to £3,000 pa with effect from 1 September 2016 in accordance with the recommendations of the PRRB which have
been accepted by the Home Secretary.

The same Chief Constable discretion applies to members of Bedfordshire, Hampshire and Sussex forces. The maximum rate in these forces is currently £1,000 pa but is due to increase to £2,000 pa with effect from 1 September 2016 in accordance with the recommendations of the PRRB which have been accepted by the Home Secretary. This allowance is paid at an hourly rate to qualifying part-time members.

South East England Transitional Supplement

This is a supplementary allowance paid to members of Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey forces who joined the police service before 1 September 1994 and whose half-rate housing allowance or flat rate transitional rent allowance is less than the rate of the South East England Allowance that the member would receive if not in receipt of a replacement allowance. The allowance is paid at the rate of the difference between that South East England Allowance and the member's half-rate housing/flat rate transitional rent allowance. The allowance is paid at an hourly rate to qualifying part-time members.

Bonus payments

Bonus payments, of between £50 and £500, are payable where the chief officer judges a piece of work by a member to be of an outstandingly demanding, unpleasant or important nature.

Team recognition award

Chief officers may recognise whole teams with a team recognition award payment of £50 to £100 each for outstandingly demanding, unpleasant or important work, or outstanding work for the public. Since team recognition awards apply to both police officers and police staff provision is not made for it in determinations. The power to pay rewards for diligence under section 31 of the Police Act 1996 should be used to make these awards to police officers.

Unsocial hours allowance

This allowance is paid to a member of the federated ranks for every full hour worked by the member between 8pm and 6am. The allowance is paid at an hourly rate of 10% of the member's hourly rate of pay.

Away from home overnight allowance

A member of the federated ranks is paid an allowance of £50 in respect of every night on which s/he is held in reserve. A member is held in reserve if s/he is serving away from his/her normal place of duty and is required to stay in a particular, specified place rather than being allowed to return home by reason of the need to be ready for immediate deployment. A member is not held in reserve if s/he is serving away from his/her normal place of duty because s/he is on a training course or carrying out routine enquiries.

For these purposes “routine enquiries” means activity which forms part of the member's role or normal duties where due to the nature of that role or duty, or due to the distance from the home station, the member is unable to return home. It is for the chief officer to determine a member's role or normal duties, including whether there is an expectation within that role or those duties that the member is to travel or to work away from home.

Where a member is held in reserve and is required to travel, other than during his/her normal daily period of duty or rostered shift, travelling to and from home is treated as duty time.

Hardship allowance

A member of a police force is paid an allowance of £30 for every night when he or she is held in reserve, within the meaning of the Away from Home Overnight Allowance (see above), and is not provided with proper accommodation. Proper accommodation is defined as a room for the sole occupation of the member, with an en-suite bathroom.

On call allowance

A member of the federated ranks receives an allowance of £15 in respect of each day on which s/he spends any time on-call. A ‘day' means a period of 24 hours starting at a time determined by the chief officer after consultation with the JBB. A chief officer may fix different times in relation to different groups of members. On call is a voluntary activity.

Replacement Allowance

This is the term given to the various housing emoluments which currently exist.

A recommendation of the Winsor Review was that the amount of a member's replacement allowance should not increase with changes to personal circumstances, such as promotion. The Home Office subsequently confirmed that with effect from November 2012 this amendment only applies where the change in personal circumstance would cause the allowance to increase i.e. on promotion. If however, as a result of a change in personal circumstances, the allowance should be restored having been suspended partially or fully then the amendment would not apply. Such circumstances include: returning to full-time service; returning from family leave; returning from a career break; or where two officers have been co-habiting and receiving a partially suspended replacement allowance - when one partner retires or if the co-habitation ends, the replacement allowance would be restored to the full amount due.

Produced and issued by Research and Policy Support PFEW HQ - updated August 2016