Exclusive: Police bonuses paid early to boost morale

FINAL payments of a controversial police bonus scheme are being brought forward in a bid to arrest a drop in morale as a result of the Winsor review into police pay and conditions.

Special Priority Payments (SPPs) were introduced almost 10 years ago to provide annual, one-off payments to officers in difficult or specialised roles.

But the scheme is set to be scrapped this year and replaced with an Expertise and Professional Accreditation Allowance, which would reduce the number of eligible roles.

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Payments under the existing arrangements are now being brought forward at the Humberside and North Yorkshire forces.

A report to Humberside Police Authority said: “In previous years payments have been made in December. However, given the impact of the Winsor review on workforce morale, chief officers approved that payment be brought forward this year from December to July 2012 to provide reassurance to the police officers that the force is committed to quickly resolving the challenges presented by the Winsor review.”

At Humberside, where payments are also made to those occupying unpopular roles, individual bonuses of up to £1,600 were being paid two years ago, but this fell to £500 last year and will be just £250 next month as a result of cuts in Home Office grants.

The force has a budget of £275,000 for this year’s SPPs, which it expects to pay to about 1,100 officers, about 60 per cent of its officer strength.

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Chief Constable Tim Hollis has previously described the scheme as “inherently divisive”, but said it should be honoured while it was in place.

Insp Steve Garmston, chairman of Humberside Police Federation, said there was also unease about the proposed replacement.

He said: “We have got some real concerns because it will only go to four groups – firearms, public order, investigation teams, and those on neighbourhood teams with three years on the team. It omits all sorts of other specialists who would merit the payment but will get nothing, like traffic officers who go to the scene of fatal accidents which are really unpleasant and difficult.”

He added: “We’ve got some extremely capable and extremely committed and professional staff but people’s financial circumstances are changing. They are having to pay more in pensions as well has having cuts in pay and I think it all adds up to a recipe for a disillusioned workforce.”

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Payments at the North Yorkshire force are being brought forward to September. It expects to pay around £192,470 to 739 officers, about 52 per cent of its strength.

The final round of SPPs in West Yorkshire went out to 2,603 officers this month and were for the period January 1 to March 31. Payments varied from a minimum of £174 to £696 for those in post for the entire three months.

No figures for South Yorkshire Police were available.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Police pay should reward the most highly skilled officers in the most demanding roles.

“The existing police pay system was designed more than 30 years ago. We want police pay and conditions that are fair and fit for the 21st century.”

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