Police chief wins go-ahead to force veteran officers to retire

North Yorkshire Police Authority yesterday agreed to let Chief Constable Grahame Maxwell forcibly retire officers with more than 30 years' service – which could see his force shrink to its smallest ever size.

Funding cuts have left North Yorkshire Police needing to shed some 200 officers, and Mr Maxwell asked the authority to invoke a police pension regulation, A19, which enables him to impose retirement on officers of chief superintendent rank or below on the grounds of "efficiency".

He is the first chief constable in Yorkshire – and only the second in the country – to receive such backing.

Police chiefs told the authority the decision would prevent them having to make "drastic" short-term cuts, but rank-and-file officers claimed it gave criminals an early Christmas present.

North Yorkshire Police Federation chairman Mark Botham said it was premature to invoke A19 until a national review of police pay and conditions had been completed.

"I'm disappointed that the decision was made when we are awaiting national reports that will potentially impact on it," he added.

"If you look at the fact that the Justice Secretary, Ken Clarke, is looking to release lots of criminals (by increasing the use of community sentences) and the police authority, at the same time, has approved, if necessary, to cut police officers, this has got to be a Christmas for criminals."

By 2014-15, 210 North Yorkshire officers will be eligible for forced retirement, of whom 105 are currently serving as constables and 58 are sergeants.

The authority will receive updates on the strategy every three months, and the process will be reviewed annually by its policy and planning board.

Meanwhile, South Yorkshire Police's redundancy appeals procedure will remain unchanged after its governing authority shelved plans to revise it.

The force faces having to make up to 600 redundancies because of budget cuts.