Independent Review of Police Officer and Staff Remuneration and Conditions final report

Book excerpt: This Review has established that the police service is currently ill-equipped to respond to possible and probable changes in increasingly specialised crime trends, political accountability, financial resources and the demographics of its workforce. This report covers reforms that may be introduced in the longer term. An earlier report on reforms that could be introduced in the short term published in March 2011 (Cm. 8024, ISBN 9780101802420) and made recommendations for savings of £1.1 billion over 3 years, most of which are being implemented following a determination of the Police Arbitration Panel. This report makes recommendations which could realise gross savings of £1.9 billion with £1.2 billion reinvested in policing. The 121 recommendations cover: employment framework, entry route and promotion; health, fitness and managing the workforce; basic pay, contribution-related pay and role-based pay; negotiating machinery. Each chapter contains a recommended phased process for introduction. The recommendations will provide the police service with the ability to attract and retain high calibre candidates with different skills and experiences, to maintain operational resilience by maximising the deployment of fit and healthy officers, and to manage office numbers according to need and in the public interest. Entry into the police service and advancement within would be according to the sole criterion of merit. The recommendations for reform of the pay review apparatus will have a profound effect, establishing a well-resourced professional pay review body ensuring that officers' pay is determined on sound evidence.