Complaints against officers

[Fedster + 1,307]

The Defence Police Federation accuses senior force officer of not supporting calls for pay parity.

General secretary Mitch Batt

 

Ministry of Defence Police chiefs are failing to support a pay parity campaign, the federation has claimed.

In December the Civil Nuclear Police Federation celebrated a historic agreement with the Home Office giving full pay parity for CNC officers with their Home Office colleagues, meaning the Ministry of Defence Police is the only force left without pay equality.

MoD Police officers are paid only 95 per cent of equivalent Home Office salaries as a result of the 1979 Wright Report.

Defence Police Federation General Secretary Mitch Batt said: “It has been tough seeing our valued colleagues in CNC achieve their pay rise and to see them working with their Chief Officer Group when our Chief Officer team don’t seem to want to do the same.”

He added the Wright report  was not “worth the paper it’s written on” and his members are expected to carry more equipment, run further and work longer than Home Office PCs.

“The government and force has agreed pay parity for CNC officers in December so here we are out on that limb," he said.

“In this day and age how is it right that officers can stand side by side, do the same job but not get the same pay?

“I know members feel disconnected to the Chief Officer group right now. 

“Our Home Office colleagues have that earlier pension age, but we carry more equipment. They want us to run further, work longer, it’s clearly not fair and now we’re in a similar situation with pay parity.

“Everything the Chief Officer Group is doing seems to be just making life more difficult for us in our working environment right now.

“I know morale is low amongst our officers – all we really want is to be treated and judged fairly like everybody else, but the Chief Officer group don’t want to put their heads above the parapet and fight for something that we clearly deserve.

“I hope the Chief Constable will see that the letter I’ve written to him on this issue just asks for a collaborative approach. I just want the issue looked at, and I believe there’s real grounds for moving the pay parity issue forward.

“We believe our members deserve it.”

A spokesman for the MoD said: “The Chief Constable of the Ministry of Defence Police is in ongoing discussions with the Defence Police Federation on the issue of pay parity.

"The outcome of these discussions will help to inform the MOD’s consideration of this matter.”

He added that the department is aware of the Civil Nuclear Constabulary's contractual pay agreement.

Media enquiries for Ministry of Defence Police are handled by the Ministry of Defence press team, unlike territorial forces who manage their own in-hour press department. 

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[ParochialYokal 1,119]

I don’t understand why CNC have been given pay parity when, statistically speaking, they are unlikely to ever make an arrest during their entire policing career. At least MOD PLOD police communities and have a range of additional duties, as opposed to being exclusively just ‘security police’.

Nonetheless, they do pay a lower pension rate and one assumes that their take home pay isn’t too dissimilar from that of a HO colleague.

[Growley + 2,436]

I don’t understand why CNC have been given pay parity when, statistically speaking, they are unlikely to ever make an arrest during their entire policing career. At least MOD PLOD police communities and have a range of additional duties, as opposed to being exclusively just ‘security police’.

Nonetheless, they do pay a lower pension rate and one assumes that their take home pay isn’t too dissimilar from that of a HO colleague.

I would agree with the notion of CNC and MoDplod doing less policing, and so deserving less pay.. until I remind myself that the Met has DPG and Royalty protection units who do pretty much exactly the same amount of policing.

What I don't like is the fact that the article tries to offset actual policing with having to carry more equipment and run further. Ballistic kit is heavy, but it doesn't stand in lieu of police work as some kind of measurement of worth.

[ParochialYokal 1,119]

I would agree with the notion of CNC and MoDplod doing less policing, and so deserving less pay.. until I remind myself that the Met has DPG and Royalty protection units who do pretty much exactly the same amount of policing.

What I don't like is the fact that the article tries to offset actual policing with having to carry more equipment and run further. Ballistic kit is heavy, but it doesn't stand in lieu of police work as some kind of measurement of worth.

I imagine as well that the MET Officers who are in ‘Protection’ roles have an average longer level of service, so are probably even more expensive!

I don’t see anything wrong with MDP earning 95% of HO salary but paying a smaller pension. What I think is incredibly wrong is CNC earning more when they have a slightly, marginally less of a real policing role than MDP.

[Radman + 2,163]

I don't see why pay parity is needed within these forces- the wage should represent the role they do and yeah they carry a firearm and may be expected to use it if the circumstances merit it but it isn't the same job as routine day to day policing.

CNC's argument was:

"Well I'm an attested Constable and Carry a Warrant Card so I should be paid the same."

By that reasoning should Mersey Tunnel Police be paid the same? Or Wandsworth Parks Police?

They're attested and Carry warrant cards too, they are 'Constables' in law just like CNC and MDP are... Same argument. Historically the fact you were a constable meant little - constables were used for various roles of enforcement over the years, be it Markets, Parks, Railway, Airports even Tunnels... Their responsibilities differed along with the role and jurisdiction but they all were constables in law and were paid whatever their employer deemed suitable to pay them. One of my favourite none HO/Private forces I used to love reading up on was the Port of Dover Police who are the second busiest none geographical force next to BTP - they used to average absolutely loads of arrests and investigations more so than my own station in the average month. In my mind far more deserving of parity pay than 'security policing' as the job was clearly more than that.

Not to sound malicious but I think CNC may have taken advantage of peoples widespread ignorance over what the 'Office of Constable' is and just how it was historically used - most people including police officers and politicians will just assume "Constable = Police."

It isn't something I can get behind if I'm being honest.

 

Edited March 21, 2018 by Radman

[Ether + 1,393]

Time for the MDP to step up their game, after all the ongoing Service Justice Review may well end their existence otherwise. 

[Zulu 22 + 4,571]

If we were being honest we would acknowledge that MOD Police is a post word for Security Guard. I do not know of any Security Guard who would earn anything like 95% of Police pay in the first place.

[Ether + 1,393]

11 minutes ago, Zulu 22 said:

If we were being honest we would acknowledge that MOD Police is a post word for Security Guard. I do not know of any Security Guard who would earn anything like 95% of Police pay in the first place.

Doesn't need to be that way, they are ideally placed to create a national role for theirselves, if only they had some foresight 

[Radman + 2,163]

1 hour ago, Funkywingnut said:

Doesn't need to be that way, they are ideally placed to create a national role for theirselves, if only they had some foresight 

I never understood this with CNC to be fair, the story a few years ago where Cumbria Police set up its own investigation unit for the Power Station because CNC didnt investigate crime on their jurisdiction...

Just really bizarre mindsets at play, devaluing the role needlessly.

[Ether + 1,393]

11 minutes ago, Radman said:

I never understood this with CNC to be fair, the story a few years ago where Cumbria Police set up its own investigation unit for the Power Station because CNC didnt investigate crime on their jurisdiction...

Just really bizarre mindsets at play, devaluing the role needlessly.

The trouble is policing is given such a low priority that people begin to think its beneath them. 

The MOD police do not do a great deal of policing within a military environment, they refuse to support defence unless they are paid for the task, even when there are 100’s of them sat around on operational units doing nothing. 

There is a possibility that they along with the military police could amalgamate and make a defence constabulary that could cover nationally and add to the resilience of policing within the U.K.

That will meet resistance from the old and bold who like the easy life