PC’s anger at job loss

The PC, a father of two, found out on Saturday that under police A19 rules, as an officer who has served longer than 30 years in the force, he will lose his job in January.

And he claims that by cutting the officers with the most 
experience and knowledge Bedfordshire Police will suffer as a result.

He said: “I received the letter in the post on Saturday. It is going to have a detrimental impact on the force because all that experience will have gone.

“Devon and Cornwall Police did it last year and now they are dropping down in the detection tables. I think that will inevitably happen to this force.

“I’ve done 39 years and then to just get a letter. It would have been nice to have been told personally.”

The officer, who this paper agreed not to name, started his police role on his 19th birthday. He will receive a pension, but claims that he will have to find another job until he is of state pension age.

No police officer can be made redundant, but under A19 those who have served 30 years or more can be forcibly retired from their posts.

He said: “I never thought that something like this would happen in this force. I’m 58 years old and I’ve still got a few years left in me. The state pension age has gone up now so I will have to try and get a job between now and then to manage.”

He added: “I’m not happy and I don’t think a lot of people will be happy.

“We understand that the cuts have got to be made but I’m sure there’s other ways of doing it rather than to get rid of the officers with the most knowledge and experience.

“I feel sorry for the force and the public as a whole.”

Peter Conniff, chair of Bedfordshire Police Authority, which gave the green light to the proposals, said: “Staff costs account for 87 per cent of our annual budget and with a non-negotiable savings target of £20million by 2015 coupled with the prospect of a further £7million by 2017, a reduction in the number of officers is essential.

He added: “It is also important to make sure that there is sufficient succession planning in place, to ensure a consistent supply of appropriately skilled people, not just in the here and now but in future years.”