Blog: August Blog by Gary Thwaite CEO

Colleagues,

After a couple of months of single topic blogs (Op Mobile and welfare/wellbeing) this month we return to an overview of the wider work we're doing on your behalf.

Firstly, our condolences to the family and friends of Paul Roberts. We were honoured to pay our respects at his funeral this week. The number of people in attendance was testament to what a popular and well-liked man he was.

Paul was a devoted family man but also dedicated more than 40 years to public service with a professional career starting out in the military then moving into policing with Surrey, the Met and the last 11 years with the CNC. His service and friendship to many of you will not be forgotten.

Pay award for 2024

The government has accepted the recommendations of the Police Remuneration Review Body, in full. This means police officers will receive a 4.75% pay increase from 1 September 2024. You can expect to see that increase in your September pay, backdated to the first of the month.

We have welcomed this year's pay award - we know the cost-of-living crisis continues to present very real challenges for many of you and this increase will go some way towards helping with that - but we must note PRRB did not accept recommendations from the National Police Chiefs Council that officers should receive a 6% rise.

We ask a lot of you, and the simple fact is, there are easier jobs outside policing that pay better. We've got to do what we can to retain good people in policing, and pay is a big part of that.

We will be speaking with the force about how some of the other recommendations (which you can read in full here) will be implemented in a way that's in line with the national approach and fair to everyone, particularly annual leave.

Pensions

The general election being called meant putting part of our work on pensions on hold. With the appointment of Ed Miliband MP as Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, this work can resume, and I hope we can achieve a positive conclusion sooner rather than later.

A lot of work has already been done behind the scenes by the sponsoring department and wider Government. You may have picked up on the Chief's recent briefings that the only real viable option being presented involves moving into the civil service Alpha CARE scheme with an employer-funded EPA (Effective Pension Age). It is envisaged that the pension scheme move will happen in 2026.

I don't want to provide too much detail while we await ministerial agreement, but please be assured that we are liaising regularly with both the Government and the Force.

The Alpha CARE scheme (with EPA) is the same scheme that the MDP officers moved over to some years ago, and if the EPA element is achieved, satisfies some of our long-standing concerns around retirement age by moving the focus from age onto an overall more beneficial and flexible pension pot.

Once we know more, we will update our members accordingly.

New and returning MPs

I mentioned Ed Miliband above, but we have a number of new MPs in the constituencies that are home to the establishments we protect. We have said goodbye to several long-serving MPs while welcoming many more we can look to build a positive relationship with.

Civil Nuclear Constabulary and the work you do isn't especially well-known, so we are looking to hold another drop-in session for MPs in London. It's so important that local MPs and key Ministers understand your work and the issues you face, and the drop-in session gives us an opportunity to talk about this. We have introductory letters going out shortly and will aim to hold an event later this year.

Health Schemes

We recently held a poll to gauge interest in joining the National Police Healthcare Scheme NPHS). The NPHS is a private healthcare plan run by police officers for the whole police family, which provides serving and retired officers, police staff, and their families with swift access to the best private medical treatment available - at not-for-profit rates.

The scheme covers the cost of consultant fees, diagnostic procedures/tests, surgical procedures and all relevant treatments and follow-ups, as well as treatment such as physiotherapy and chiropractic. Plus, pre-existing conditions are covered after two years.

The level of interest was encouraging but some of you told us you would like a healthcare scheme that could be personalised to your specific circumstances.

With this in mind, we're also exploring Usay Compare. This is an independent and impartial service which compares the best policies from leading UK health insurance companies and matches them to your specific needs. This service is able to provide a more personalised comprehensive cover as another option for our members to choose.

We will have more information on both options shortly including how you can sign up, should you wish to do so.

Excellence Awards Time is running out for you to nominate your colleagues for a CNP Federation Excellence Award - the closing date is Tuesday 6 August. So far we have received three times as many nominations for the Unsung Hero Award than the Inspiration Award.

[Please note, this item has been removed from the online version of the blog as the closing date for nominations has now passed. Thank you to everyone who participated]

I hope this update has been useful. If you have an issue you would like to raise with the Federation, please either speak with your local Fed rep or come directly to us.

Best wishes

Gary

Gary Thwaite
Chief Executive, Civil Nuclear Police Federation