The magazine of North Yorkshire Police Federation AUTUMN 2011

www.nypolfed.org.uk

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3FEDERATION EXPRESS

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CONTENTS

Chairman’s introduction 5Dealing with divorce 9Police Federation National DetectiveForum 11The view from St Andrews 12You may not know thisbut… 14Interview with John Mackfall 16

FULL TIME OFFICIALSMark Botham JBB ChairmanJBB Pensions & DWP leadJBB Health & Safety leadNigel Day JBB SecretaryJBB Equality & Diversity leadMike Stubbs JBB TreasurerJBB Professional Development leadJBB Misconduct leadMal Taylor Joint Central CommitteeSecretary legislation sub committee

CRIME DIRECTORATESteve Menzies (CBB)Garry Ridler (SBB)Pete Martin (IBB)

SAFER NEIGHBOURHOOD DIRECTORATEMick Lynch (CBB)Jerry Perrin (SBB)Dave Porter (IBB)Steve Leach (CBB)Dave Horn (SBB)Mike Fenton (IBB)Fiona Tetley (CBB)Combined with Reserve SeatDebbie Perkin (SBB)Combined with Reserve SeatDave Sutcliffe (IBB)Sara Webb (CBB)Jon Webb (SBB)Bob Mowat (IBB)Vacant (CBB)

Tim Smith (SBB)Will Scarlett (IBB)Mark Holland (CBB)Will Eastwood (SBB)Leo Suret (IBB)

SPECIALIST OPERATIONS DIRECTORATEIan McIntosh (CBB)Ian Butler (SBB)Dave Brown (IBB)Alan Murray (CBB)Richard Wilson (SBB)Vacant (IBB)

Every care is taken to ensure that advertisements are acceptable only from “Bona Fide” advertisers. The Police Federation cannot accept any liability for losses incurred by any person as a result of a default on party of an advertiser. Federation Express is the magazine of North Yorkshire Police Federation. Its purpose is to keep our members informed on all that their Federation is involved in, to stimulate debate on relevant issues and promote member services.The views expressed in the magazine are those either of its component Board, offi cers or representatives, unless other wise stated. Contributions may be sent in confi dence to the Editor, (who reserves the right to amend or edit all material as necessary, where possible with the consent of the contributor) at: Federation Express, Police Federation Offi ce, Police Station, Castlegate, Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, HG5 8AR.

This magazine is produced and printed on behalf of the North Yorkshire Police Federation by The Ark Design & Print Ltd, 47 Kent Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS29 9BB, Tel: 0113 256 8712, Fax: 0113 256 8724, Email: neil@thearkdesign.co.ukwww.thearkdesign.co.uk

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5FEDERATION EXPRESS

W elcome to the autumn 2011 edition of your magazine. We hope you fi nd it informative.

As this magazine goes to press we have just seen the concerns re Tom Winsor’s evidence from people it is stated don’t exist, the Police Minister’s video gaff at the National Black Police Association Conference, the Home Secretary’s cat fi ght with the Justice Secretary and the announcement that the Police Arbitration Tribunal will meet on 8th November 2011 to deal with the PNB failure to agree on Winsor1.

Please subscribe to our monthly newsletter at www.nypolfed.org.uk and follow us on Facebook and Twitter to ensure you receive the update on the PAT as soon as we get it.

Th ere cannot be many people who are not aware of the major issues we have over front loaded 20% cuts to policing. Our front cover depicts our concerns over 20% budget cuts. Th e impact of these on management style, staffi ng levels and shift patterns were the key points I made in my speech at our recent Open Meeting.

MANAGEMENT STYLEI made the point that in the face of the cuts we need a motivated workforce but that sadly we are starting to see an increase in the number of reports of inappropriate behaviour by senior offi cers. Good leadership is not about being aggressive at dmms and district taskings, undermining colleagues in front of other offi cers and police staff .

Tough times sometimes warrant tough management but we cannot have a service run on a culture like this.

Th e American football coach Vince Lombardi said “coaches

who can outline plays on a black board are a dime a dozen. Th e ones who win get inside their player and motivate.” In 2011 don’t our members deserve to have managers who act like this?

SHIFT SYSTEMFollowing on from your feedback which we published in the last edition of this magazine, the emails we have had and the face to face dialogue we have had with you I made the following observations:

Th is shift pattern is despised by the offi cers who have to work it.

Th is shift pattern is hated by their families to whom they are becoming strangers.

And this shift pattern does not deliver for the public of North Yorkshire

We know that in a paper approved by the force Senior Leadership Team on 12th September 2011 it was acknowledged that “custody staff reductions through the forces’ change programme (at both custody sergeant and detention offi cer level) have meant that maintaining previous levels of self-suffi cient custody provision has become increasingly diffi cult to sustain with the 9 band shift system.” and that “at this stage is appears that the most economic and operationally eff ective option at this time would be to implement a diff erent shift pattern.” the outcome – to move to a 4 band 12 hour shift system.

Amongst the benefi ts it was said would accrue would be:1 Increased staff resilience2 Reduced shift deviations3 Reduced overtime costs4 Reduced travel5 Increased staff health and welfare.

So it must be axiomatic that these benefi ts would accrue to the

CHAIRMAN’S INTRODUCTION

rest of the force by moving away from the 9 band shift system.

As a consequence the document being prepared by the federation shift review group would be calling for change and we would expect the force to act.

STAFFING LEVELSNumbers don’t matter do they? Lets have a look at a few facts before you make your mind up on that one.1 We know from North Yorkshire

County Council documents that between 2001 and 2010 the population of North Yorkshire increased by 5.2% (some 29,600 people) and that over the next 20 years the population is expected to continue increasing across North Yorkshire.

2 In the past 9 months we have seen offi cers suff er injuries including a broken jaw, a fractured eye socket, fractured thumb and a broken arm. Would these offi cers have been victims of crime if we were properly resourced?

3 In 2007 there were 1654 police offi cers in North Yorkshire. Today that number stands at just 1429. Th at is already a reduction of 225 offi cers – almost 15% of our force

4 And things will get worse. According to a November 2010 North Yorkshire Police document by 2015 we will have 1294 police offi cers. Th at is 360 offi cers less than in 2007 and is actually the same number of offi cers we had in 1977.

5 According to a July 2011 HMIC report. By 2015 we will have more police staff than we had in 2005. At the same time we will have 318 offi cers less than in 2007 and will actually have 1 offi cer less than we had in 1979.

6 But then according to a July 2011 NYP document by 2015 we will have a diff erent number of police staff , although still more police staff than we had in 2004. And less offi cers than the HMIC report. Some 354 less offi cers than we had in 2007 and actually some 9 offi cers less than we had in 1976.We know that demand across

the board for police services in

Chairman’s introduction

Mark Botham

6 FEDERATION EXPRESS

CHAIRMAN’S INTRODUCTION

the event. Th e picture below, on the left , shows John and Katherine with North Yorkshire MPs, Julian Sturdy, Julian Smith and Nigel Adams at the same event. Not pictured are Robert Goowdill and Andrew Jones who were the other North Yorkshire MPs who attended.

Th e picture on far right shows John O’Malley at the awards ceremony with Christine Bleakley.

Read more about John O’Malley’s actions http://www.nypolfed.org.uk/police-and-federation-news/police-news/gritty-cop-honoured-for-bravery/

OPTING OUT OF THE POLICE PENSION SCHEME WITH 30 YEARS SERVICEWe have received a large number of

North Yorkshire has increased since the 1970s. We also know that reductions in offi cer numbers will impact on our ability to perform all the roles of the police including the prevention and detection of crime.

Th ere is a clear duty both at common law and at statute, to provide a safe place of work. At the heart of safe staffi ng is the fact that when resource decisions are being made, health and safety risks must be taken into account at the planning stage. We will continue to work on this.

We continually need feedback from you our members about staffi ng levels and we would also encourage use to ensure the force is aware by submitting (where you consider it appropriate) near miss reports.

NATIONAL POLICE MEMORIAL DAYNational Police Memorial Day was founded in 2004 by Sergeant Joe Holness, QPM, to commemorate the memory of colleagues lost in the line of duty.

Th e National Police Memorial Day aims to:• Remember police offi cers who

have been killed or died on duty• Demonstrate to relatives,

friends and colleagues of fallen offi cers that their sacrifi ce is not forgotten

• Recognise annually the dedication to duty and courage displayed by police offi cersTh e JBB Secretary Nigel Day,

JBB Treasurer Mike Stubbs along with the Chief Constable and chair of the Superintendents’ Association recently accompanied relatives of fallen colleagues to the 2011 service in Glasgow.

Whilst in Glasgow the Nigel Day presented Joe Holness with a cheque for £750.00 which was collected for National Police Memorial Day (in addition to the collection for the Police Treatment Centre) at our recent charity dinner.

It is poignant that in 2012 – some 35 years since the murder of Norman Garnham, some 30 years since the murders of Dave Haigh and Dave Winter and some 20 years since the murder of Glenn Goodman – the National Police

Memorial Day service will be held in York.

We as a federation, and colleagues from all the organsiations on the Welfare Fund committee will be working with the organisors to play our part in making the 2012 service a fi tting tribute.

2011 POLICE BRAVERY AWARDSIn July this year I had the honour of accompanying Pc John O’Malley his wife Katherine and Acc Cross to the Police Federation / Sun Bravery Awards.

Th e top picture on the facing page shows John and Katherine with Mark Botham and Mal Taylor along with Baroness Harris of Richmond at the Parliamentary reception held the night before

7FEDERATION EXPRESS

thank Nick Whattam for his contribution and wish him a happy retirement. And fi nally, this month we say good bye to the lynchpin of the federation offi ce – Diane Whitwam. She has worked tirelessly on behalf of all our members for many years. We wish her all the best for a healthy, happy and lengthy retirement.Mark BothamChairman

queries from offi cers on this topic. We cannot give fi nancial advice and do not recommend to members that they opt out of the PPS.

What we do strongly recommend is that any member who is considering opting out takes the following steps before s/he makes a decision to opt out:1. take independent fi nancial

advice dealing with his or her own fi nancial circumstances,

including life cover; and2. contact the force pension

administrator to obtain details of the impact of opting out on his or her circumstances.

MOVING ONCan I say thanks to Margo Burgess who has stood down as a representative in order to concentrate on her policing career. I would also like to

CHAIRMAN’S INTRODUCTION

2011 POLICE BRAVERY AWARDS

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†To initiate an employment or defamation claim contact your local Federation representative in the first instance. Russell Jones & Walker Solicitors is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA number 54695) and the Ministry of Justice in respect of regulated claims management activities; its registration is recorded on the website www.claimsregulation.gov.uk.

9FEDERATION EXPRESS

The breakdown of a relationship can cause considerable emotional distress and upset. Dealing

with a separation can oft en add to an already stressful situation. Quite oft en there are a number of diff erent issues that need to be addressed and it is my job to guide you through this legal and fi nancial mind fi eld. I hold a legal surgery every month at the North Yorkshire Federation Offi ce or alternatively a telephone appointment can be arranged if preferred. Your fi rst appointment is free, thereaft er police offi cers and police staff receive a 20% reduction on my normal hourly rate.

Here is an example of questions asked and an outline of the advice given.

Q Is my spouse entitled to any of my police pension?

A Th e Court will consider any asset that has accrued during your marriage and as such your pension will be taken into account when deciding on the division of the fi nances as you have been contributing to it while you were married. Th e extent of your spouses claim against your police pension will depend on several factors such as how long you have been married and the value of your spouses’ own pension provision. A relatively short childless marriage is likely to result in you keeping your pension in tact, but a longer marriage either with or without children is likely to have an impact on your pension.

Th ere are however likely to be a number of options as to how your pension is dealt with. Th e options that are most likely to be available are an off set whereby your spouse receives a greater share of the realisable capital assets which quite oft en is the matrimonial

home. Alternatively your pension may be subject to a pension share. Th is results in a percentage of your pension being transferred into a pension for your spouse. Aft er implementation of a pension share your spouse’s pension has to remain in the police scheme and your spouse will not receive any benefi ts from any ongoing contributions that you make.

Q Do I have to continue to pay the mortgage even though I am no longer living in the matrimonial home?

A If you and your spouse are named on the mortgage deeds then you are both joint and severally liable for the mortgage payment. Th is means that if the mortgage is not paid both of your credit ratings are likely to be aff ected.

Th e amount of any ongoing contribution by the party who no longer resides at the property will depend on the circumstances of the parties. Th e starting point would be for any child maintenance to be paid. It is then for the spouse that continues to occupy the matrimonial home to prove that they are not in a position to be able to aff ord all of their essential outgoings on the income that they have (to include any child maintenance or benefi ts that they receive). If they are unable to meet the outgoings then consideration will be given to the other party’s income and their essential outgoings. If they have any surplus income then it is likely that they will be required to pay a contribution to the other party. In summary if the party who remains in the matrimonial home cannot manage to “keep the ship afl oat” without assistance from the other party then they are likely to need to assist. If

the parties are unable to agree the level of contributions themselves then provided that divorce proceedings have been issued an application can be made to Court for Maintenance Pending Suit.

Q My spouse has had an affair. Will that be taken into account when dealing with the divorce and fi nances?

A Th e reason for the breakdown of the marriage is not a factor that the Court will take into account when addressing fi nancial matters. Th e Court will however consider the conduct of the parties however this needs to be extreme conduct in order for this to be considered and as such is rarely a consideration.

Th e fact of adultery can however be relied upon in divorce proceedings and it may be that your spouse is ordered to pay your divorce costs due to the fact of their adultery.

Q We have a joint account should I take steps to close the account?

A Leaving an account in joint names would rely on an element of trust between you. Either of you may be able to withdraw funds or run up an overdraft on the account. As the account is in joint names both of you would be joint and severally liable. It is therefore likely to be advisable to open your own bank account and have a separate account for the payment of bills etc. Th is not only enables you and your spouse to be independent from each other but can help reduce the risk of future confl ict. Even though you have opened your own bank account you are likely to be required to provide copies of your statements as part of your disclosure. Th at is even if the account is opened with a new partner!

Dealing with divorceKIA HOWARDT: 0161 383 3643 E: k.howard@rjw.co.ukW: www.familylaw4police.co.uk

It is essential that you get the right advice from the start. At Russell Jones & Walker we specialise in police divorces and have the knowledge to advise you thoroughly on your relationship disputes. For further advice please contact me at the offi ce on 0161 383 3643 or the Federation Offi ce directly to make an appointment to see me at the next surgery.

Kia Howard

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11FEDERATION EXPRESS

Can we introduce you to the Police federation National Detective Forum. We are a group of Detective

Federation representatives that have come together to make this forum. Th e ethos behind us was to establish a group who were able to provide a dedicated voice on behalf of all operational federated detectives of England and Wales on specifi c issues that aff ect them. As such we are recognised and supported by the National committees as well as all the joint and rank branch boards.

Because of this support and a number of sponsors that provide us with further fi nancial backing we are able to hold regular meetings across England and Wales of the forum members and collate evidence of issues as they emerge. We then ensure that these issues are taken directly to the most appropriate authority through the National Federation or directly to source by our executive committee.

We have four representatives in each region of the Federation as well as four National members and three reserve seats. From these we elect a chair, vice chair, general secretary and deputy secretary. Th is provides us with an executive that can constantly review and research issues facing detectives.

So you may ask what have we done and what are we doing? Since our creation we have consistently raised the concerns of under staffi ng, resilience and devaluing of CID offi cers in almost every force.

We have surveyed and highlighted the severe lack of interest that started to develop concerning a career pathway in the CID

We publicised the 7000

vacancies across the forces in 2007–2008 that caused a national uproar and heated debate.

We campaigned for a full review of the CID and obtained the support of the National Central Committee when they commissioned the report into CID which produced it’s fi ndings in Losing the detectives in 2008.

We have since used that report and further evidence as it emerged to create interest from politicians about the plight of Detective offi cers to try and ensure that we are given the resources, direction, training and leadership to deliver the service to the public that they rightly expect and demand from us.

We have constantly highlighted the lack of detective policing involved in the fi ght against Tier 2 criminality and the removal of CID from the investigation of Tier 1 with the creation of SOCA which we feel was and continues to be a huge error.

We have campaigned for a greater area based pro-activity on a national level and will continue to do so especially as we see a steady rise in organised crime within England and Wales which should not be tolerated.

We are trying to ensure that workforce modernisation does not mean Detective exploitation or even worse, on some evidence, detective eradication!

We campaign for clear blue water on the detective role and the role of enquiry support staff which we feel should only be used to assist in PIP level 1 crimes whilst offi ce assistants or CID clerks as we once knew them should be employed to assist us in delivering investigative policing. We do not think we should be directing poorly trained or recently retired offi cers to do it for us.

We want to see more forces re-invest in their detectives providing them with better training and importantly more respect for the role we perform.

We believe that the best CID leaders are those that have experienced the CID at grass root level and can properly appreciate the work being undertaken by subordinates and properly utilise the skills of the detective offi cer.

We believe that if those in position that make decisions on these matters listen to us they can achieve a better standard of policing and have a greater, longer and more meaningful impact on criminality within society that is so obviously desperately needed.

We therefore would seek your help! We are the voice of the detective but we want to listen to all offi cers about the role of detectives within policing. We have all had good and bad experiences which help us to establish through experience where things are going wrong.

Th e aim of PFNDF is to represent the concerns and progress the interests of detective offi cers across England & Wales in terms of their welfare & effi ciency. Detectives across North Yorkshire can assist with this by working with their directorate representatives Steve Menzies (CBB), Garry Ridler (SBB) and Pete Martin (IBB).

Many thanksSteve WilliamsChairmanNational Detectives’ ForumDennis WeeksGeneral SecretaryNational Detectives’ Forum

Police Federation National Detective Forum

Dennis Weeks

Steve Williams

We believe that the best CID leaders are those that have experienced the CID at grass root level and can properly appreciate the work being undertaken by subordinates

12 FEDERATION EXPRESS

Our campaign to raise money to make further improvements at St Andrews, the Police

Treatment Centre in Harrogate, is gathering pace. For those of you who don’t know, over the last couple of years we have made huge improvements to our treatment facilities and have now turned our attention to improving the Duke of York wing. Th is wing consists of 23 bedrooms which we want to refurbish so they better meet the

needs of injured offi cers (more than 150 of whom attend from North Yorkshire Police each year).

Th e fundraising got off to a great start earlier this year when a Clay Pigeon shoot held in aid of St Andrews and raised more than £33,000. We are planning further events in and around North Yorkshire so keep an eye on our website www.thepolicetreatmentcentres.org for more information.

Of course for our fundraising

to be successful, we need to do more to highlight our work. It is important that not only you, our supporters, know what services we provide, but that the wider public understand how dangerous and pressured police work can be and how we can help.

As part of the national Heritage Open Days scheme, we recently held two open aft ernoons at St Andrews and were overwhelmed by the response. We showed 170 visitors around the building and collected more than £315 in donations. Feedback was really positive; not only for the work we do at the Police Treatment Centre, but in support of you and your colleagues. Your Joint Branch Board Chair and Secretary, Mark Botham and Nigel Day, heard this feedback for themselves as they kindly volunteered to help with the event.

The view from St Andrews

13FEDERATION EXPRESS

We hope to hold further open days next year and would appreciate your feedback on whether a ‘police only’ open day would be of interest to you. Why not leave us a message on our Facebook page?

It is important to explain that our work to support injured and ill offi cers is only possible thanks to the 55.000 police offi cers who make a weekly donation to the charity of £1.30. Our main aim is to help you get back to work sooner by providing intensive, police-specifi c treatment. To fi nd out more about our work, please visit our website. If you have any fundraising ideas or want to know what you can do to support us, contact the fundraising team on 01423 504448 or email enquiries@thepolicetreatmentcentres.org

13FEDERATION EXPRESS

14 FEDERATION EXPRESS

LEGALSYou have full legal expense insurance within your scheme. Below are a few bullet points to draw attention to the main elements it covers.• Criminal/Motor Vehicle

Prosecution defence: Th is covers both you and your partner spouse should you fi nd yourself subject to a criminal prosecution.

• Th is protection extends to motor vehicle off ences that carry penalty points.

• Police Misconduct issues: Should you fi nd that you are facing a misconduct investigation and for any reason the Police Federation decline to fund your defence or representation (normally when the investigation stems from a non duty related incident) then the insurers will fund the issue.

• Personal Injury: You and your full family have full cover for all issues surrounding person injury incidents.

• Consumer Protection: If you are in dispute with a provider of goods or services and need legal advice or representation you are covered.

• Employment Cover: Th e Police Federation will support you in relation to employment disputes but this cover provides protection for your Spouse/partner.

• Bankruptcy: Should you fi nd that you have to petition for Bankruptcy the scheme will pay the court costs and admin fees related to the procedure.

• Identity Th eft : Should you discover your identity has been dishonestly used by another than the scheme will provide legal assistance to reclaim the providence of your identity and negate any fi nancial losses you have suff ered.

• Education Appeals: Should a child be refused entry to a school you have chosen and you believe that refusal was incorrect the scheme will provide professional assistance to mount an appeal.

• Legal Help Line: A help line that will give you free advice on ANY legal issue.

• Uninsured Loss Recovery: IMPORTANT PLEASE READ! Most vehicle insurers sell you this insurance as an additional premium on your car or motor cycle. Th is is oft en upwards of £20 per year per vehicle, you do not need this cover as it is included in your scheme please cancel any such insurance you have with car insurers.

MOTOR BREAKDOWN COVERFrom the 1st of December, North Yorkshire Police Federation

is delighted to announce the introduction of breakdown recovery for 2 vehicles (you and spouse / partner) for an incredible price of £1.00 per month added to the Group Insurance Scheme subscription. Th is equals an annual price of an incredible £12.00!

Our Group Policy is just getting better and better, and this inclusion is possibly the best yet. Th e whole scheme now covers most of your insurance needs and saves you money! You don’t have to do a thing – from the 1st of December 2011 you and your partner / spouse are covered!

Th e main points of cover are as follows:• Comprehensive Motor

Breakdown Cover for you and your partner

• Roadside Assistance• If not repairable by the roadside,

you will be taken to a local garage or you can be recovered to your home address or original destination

• Home Assistance included• Alternative travel costs included• Average 39 minutes response

time• Driver cover so you are

included in whatever car you are travelling in, including Motorcycles

• No age limit of vehicle covered• European cover available at an

extra charge

You may not know this but…In this article Carl Spencer of Philip Williams & Co explains some of the benefi ts of the Group Insurance Scheme which will also mean do not need to pay for additional stand alone cover including having it in your car/motorcycle insurance.

15FEDERATION EXPRESS

16 FEDERATION EXPRESS

How would you describe the relationship between the North Yorkshire branches of UNISON and the Police Federation?Th e relationship in general is professional and friendly, however it must always be accepted that both representing groups must always represent their members fi rst and sometimes the representation of Offi cers best interests are not always the same as that of Police Staff . Where there is a confl ict both parties must refl ect their members best interests and disagreement will take place as you would expect. but in general we work together on many joint issues where a mutual benefi t is obvious which can only benefi t all concerned and we hope that good strong working relationship will continue.

What is the biggest challenge facing North Yorkshire Police at this time?Th ere is not enough time to discuss in detail all the challenges we face as they are immense, however the main one’s are; Pay and conditions, Pensions, Regionalisation, Privatisation (out sourcing) and the most pending a new Chief Constable and Commissioner and of course, doing more with less.

How can members of UNISON & the Police Federation work together to ensure we continue to drive out unnecessary bureaucracy?Th is is not necessarily the right question. Sometimes people abuse the word bureaucracy, and some people use it to make political points. Th e facts are

that all processes are in some way bureaucratic. We must have clear understandable Policies and procedures in force, to protect Staff and Offi cers from bullying, unfairness and unjust decisions that aff ect us all. Staff and Offi cers must be treated fairly and with dignity and respect the same way we are expected to treat the public, why should we be any diff erent towards each other. Also we need processes to deal with off enders and the public that safeguard Offi cers and Staff from complaints and abuse by documenting issues we can provide safeguards and evidence when required. So some bureaucracy is a good thing and it should be enforced. However where processes are in place without good reason or hinder processes that are required then it must be reviewed and removed where possible. Does that make me a bureaucrat? Possibly, but to be secure in the knowledge that I have fulfi lled my responsibilities and I have followed procedure gives me some peace of mind and keeps me out of trouble, I hope.

In 2007 Sir Menzies Campbell stated ‘what we have to do is restore the sense of confi dence – confi dence by the public in the police service and confi dence among the police that they enjoy the support of the public. A Royal Commission would seem to go a long way toward helping that.’ Do you agree with him?I don’t totally agree with his view, but I have no issues with a full Royal Commission into Policing. Th e world has changed in the last twenty years and Policing must change with it or end up been out of touch and out of date. I don’t believe our force is either. I think that in our force we have had a constant program of change and development that makes our force one of the best performing forces and also one of the most respected in the country. We are modern and we are in touch with our community and we are effi cient. However the world keeps moving forward and we must keep up with it. I do feel that as we lead the country in effi ciency savings and speed to implement those savings that we should be aff orded time to refl ect and catch up with what we have done in the last year. I believe that the cuts our force has made are too deep and were too quickly implemented. We don’t know as yet what aff ect less Staff and Offi cers will have on the service we provide in North Yorkshire. However we can understandably expect that some things we did previously we can no longer do due to cost or staffi ng and some things we want to do in the future, we wont be able to for the same reasons. We believe that the end result will be that the service we provide to the public in our area will suff er because of the Government cuts. So to review Policing may not be a bad thing, but to make more cuts would. However we then have the issue of who governs us. We will be electing a new Police and Crime Commissioner for the county. Th is Commissioner will employ all staff initially and be very vulnerable to pressure groups and political opinion and party politics. Th at would be a bad thing and be detrimental to the

Interview with John MackfallNorth Yorkshire Police Branch Secretary of UNISON, Regional UNISON Chair and UNISON National Executive Offi cer.

Staff and Offi cers must be treated fairly and with dignity and respect. The same way we are expected to treat the public – why should we be any different towards each other

17FEDERATION EXPRESS

service. Th e Chief Constable will take responsibility for running the whole force and eventually employ some staff possibly front line uniformed staff ? Th e question that needs reviewing is “should two people hold this much responsibility and power?”

In its response to the White Paper Policing in 21st Century, NYPA supported the review of pay, pensions and conditions of service but warned of the ‘Risk of signifi cant industrial relations problems throughout the service – withdrawal of goodwill, motivation, etc.’ – how will UNISON work with the Joint Branch Board to address this?Th is is a very diffi cult situation we will fi nd ourselves in the near future. Th e Government want a Police service that works 24/7 without breaks and to have no outside life or commitment’s, where everything you do is monitored and your private life and associations are held against you. Th is is unacceptable to employees as the police service is the only employer demanding this approach. On one hand you have a country that wants the police service to represent a cross section of the community and on the other hand they want to employ people with no history or family or any outside life, this is unrealistic and you will end up with a police force made up of people with no independence or responsibility and no life experience, all of which

are essential in our line of work. Th e Government have also made it clear that they want us to work every hour available and for the lowest pay with no additional cost of overtime, weekend working allowance or shift pay and no compensation for disruption of your private life and personal time. Again this is unacceptable for employees. Th en we have the major issue of broken promises and a breach of our pension rights. Th at may be a step too far for many people. Th ere could well be national action over these issues that will aff ect all public services right across the country and cause

disruption to normal life. But that is our right, the right to withdraw labour and peaceful protest, that’s a basic right we should all have or you return to slavery and drudgery that we ended a hundred years ago. I have a right to say I am not happy and I am not being treated fairly and I withdraw my work, the employer has the right to consult, negotiate and not pay for work not performed. If the Government feel it is inappropriate for employees to withdraw their work then pay us the appropriate salary and account for a 24/7 expectation, aft er all you get what you pay for in this world, so I’m told. If any kind of industrial action were to be taken, it could leave our colleagues on their own in a vulnerable situation, however we understand the needs of our colleagues and we would always make sure that “Life and Limb cover” is available and the safety of Offi cers and the public is also our responsibility. To that end we would consult and keep updated the force and the Federation on any pending action and how we can avoid these issues.

Do you believe the introduction of Police and Crime Commissioners in place of Police Authorities will be a good or bad thing and why? I have already answered this question above, but we will have to wait and see, but it has been rushed and not thought through and it is open to abuse and political pressure, all of which is a bad thing and must be monitored closely.

The Government have made it clear that they want us to work every hour available and for the lowest pay with no additional cost of overtime, weekend working allowance or shift pay and no compensation for disruption of your private life and personal time. This is unacceptable for employees

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We are seeking to build on our successes and improve the annual Open Meeting. Please photocopy this page, and send it with your thoughts to the Federation offi ce.

Q. Do you have any views on the venue for the Open Meeting?

Q. Do you have any views on the length of the speeches?

Q. Do you have any views on the length of the question time session?

Q. Should members of the press be present for the question time session?

Q. How do you believe we could improve the Open Meeting?

WE NEED YOUR FEEDBACK ON YOUR 2011 OPEN MEETING