British ‘used severance scheme to stop police officers quitting’

Alan Erwin

The lawyers of long-serving men and women who want to leave the force claim they were the victims of major discrimination.

The system for slashing police strength from 13,000 to 7,500 full-time officers is based on a combination of age plus length of service.

Even though many of those behind the legal action have served longer than others able to leave, they do not qualify for lucrative pay-offs because they joined the service so young.

Responsibility for the scheme is split between the Chief Constable, who decides eligibility criteria, and the Northern Ireland Office, which draws up the financial packages for officers. Up to 40 of the group taking the judicial review were in Belfast High Court yesterday to hear Arthur Harvey QC criticise the plan.

“Instead of an integrated approach by the police service and the NIO, both used the division of their responsibilities to obscure from the applicants a proper and correct approach,” he said. “Both used the responsibility of the other to push the applicants quite literally from pillar to post.”

The scheme was set up under the Patten reform blueprint aimed at transforming the overwhelmingly Protestant police force.

Hundreds of eligible officers have already accepted voluntary retirement packages worth stg£135,000 plus stg£1,100 a month to constables alone.

Some of those barred have served for nearly 30 years, but have been forced to remain in the ranks while other less experienced officers have left. The men and women launched their judicial review after Chief Constable Hugh Orde declared the eligibility criteria would remain.

Mr Harvey claimed the arrangements were largely based upon the costs of the Patten report to the public purse. “The fair treatment of police officers who have dedicated their lives to the service of this community during its most difficult and darkest days can only be seen against the total financial demands made of the whole report.”