Frequently Asked Questions

You must notify your Line Manager immediately by telephone or within an hour of the commencement of what would have been your tour of duty. Try and inform your Line Manager of how long you are likely to be off. If your absence is likely to be in excess of 14 days, you are advised to contact your Divisional Federation Representative or the Federation Office, New Inn.

Ensure injury on duty form is submitted immediately. Go online to www.pfclaimline.co.uk as you may have a civil claim. Depending on the circumstances, you may also be able to claim from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) and Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) for an industrial injury. Contact the Federation Office at New Inn.

Inform your Line Manager immediately. Generally, that day will not be counted towards your sickness absence.

Resume as soon as you consider yourself fit for work even if this means resuming onto a rest day. This way, the number of days recorded as sickness absence will exclude the rest days if you intend resuming work after them.

Sickness absence will take primacy over annual leave. However, you will have to obtain a Doctors MED3 certificate of sickness absence to cover the entire period.

Providing your holiday, or any other activity for that matter, does not impede, interfere with or is detrimental to your recovery there should be no issues. However, you must inform your Line Manager and it is good practice to seek guidance from your GP and/or Occupational Health before going.

If you attend Flint House during a period of sickness, the attendance will be recorded as such. If you are in the workplace, it will not be so counted.

The Chalet at Llanteglos is available for recuperative purposes although attendance is in your own time. Contact the Force Welfare Officer for details. To avail yourself of the use of the Chalet you have to be paying into the 'Welfare Fund'.

If I go sick, will I be subject of UPP?

Gwent police policy is to treat all sickness as genuine. However, there are occasions when Line Managers should CONSIDER instigating the informal stage of the UPP process at an Attendance Support Meeting. The circumstances are:-

  • 3 periods of sickness in 6 months
  • 4 periods of sickness in 12 months.
  • Where sickness exceeds the current target.
  • Where there is a clearly defined pattern of sickness.

Having CONSIDERED the circumstances, the Line Manager may instigate Management Intervention setting an Action Plan with various criteria. In the main, those criteria will be to return to the workplace by a certain date and maintain attendance the Action plan can last up to 6 months. If you do not achieve the Action Plan you may then be placed on the First Stage of the police Efficiency (Attendance Regs).

The Force accept there are no grounds to remove the right to self-certify absence of up to 7 days and there is no legal entitlement to do so.

Yes. The line manager must write to the officer inviting him or her to the meeting. 5 calendar days notice of the meeting must be given. If the officer is unable to attend efforts will be made to reschedule the meeting. It must be noted that the meeting may take place in the officers absence.

Yes.

Yes, but clearly it is always better to try and reach agreement on a reasonable, achievable and sustainable Action Plan.

Yes, you can appeal to the next Line Manager as with all the stages of UPP. Seek the advice of your Federation Representative.

Injuries on duty and pregnancy related absences should be excluded from the Trigger Points and Bradford Score. Linked absences will generally be counted as one for these purposes. If it is an injury on duty, ensure the Injury on Duty form is submitted to your Personnel Manager and send a copy to the Federation office. If your absence is pregnancy related contact your Reserve (Female) Representative or Federation office for advice and assistance.

Where there is a breach you may move to Stage 1 of the process, your Line Manager must notify you in writing of the time, date and place of the interview. You are entitled to be represented at that meeting and you should therefore contact your Federation Representative or Federation office as soon as possible.

The first stage is 'Attendance Support Meeting' is intended to be informal. The second is the 'First Formal Stage', third is the 'Second Formal Stage' and fourth 'Third Stage Meeting'. You can be represented by your Federation Friend at all stages.

The entire procedure is intended to be supportive process as oppose to punitive. The Organisation have a part to play in providing that support and assistance. However, at the 'Third Stage Meeting', the ultimate sanction for the ACPO is the requirement to resign.

It is important to engage in a Regulatory process which deals with sickness absence. Reasonable, achievable and sustainable criteria should be negotiated although target dates will be set if one cannot be agreed.

There are circumstances when you can return to recuperative duties although only when you are able to resume your core substantive duties within 28 days of returning. Again, contact your Federation Representative or office.

Your Line Manager must refer your case to Occupational Health who can extend that period.

Your Line Manager, in consultation with Occupational Health and your People Services Manager should consider the appropriateness of such a rerun. An Action Plan should be prepared. You are advised to contact your local Federation Representative or office.

Yes, contact your Federation friend.

The Force's current approach is that, irrespective of the core duties and role you perform, if you do not have an operationally deployable capability, you may, after medical opinion, be determined restricted. Time gates will be set within Action Plans to achieve that operational capacity. It is therefore important you make regular contact with your Federation friend who will be able to make representations on your behalf.

Generally they will last no longer that 12 months during which the condition has improved and the restriction lifted or it may become evident it is of a permanent nature. Consideration may be given to referring you to a Selected Medical Practitioner (SMP) for a decision on permanence. In such circumstances, if you have not already done so, you are urged to contact your Federation friend.

Since Police Reform and as a consequence of Home Office and PNB Guidance, the emphasis is on the retention of Officers who are determined by an SMP to be 'permanently disabled from performing the ordinary duties of a member of the Police Force'.

After a continuous period of 6 months absence or an accumulated period of 6 in the last 12, consideration will be given by ACPO to reducing your pay to half. There are strict criteria when ACPO can consider affording favourable discretion and you should contact your Federation friend. If you do move to half pay, or even where discretion is afforded, you should claim Employment Support Allowance from the DWP.

Regular contact must be maintained with your Line Manager throughout your absence particularly if it is long term. There are circumstances where contact can be with another nominated individual and advice should be sought from your Divisional Federation Representative or Federation office.

The Force has a limited budget for Private Medical Intervention and there are criteria set for those who wish to claim from it. You should contact the Occupational Health for the relevant forms.

If you are for the purposes of the Disability Discrimination Act 'disabled' the Organisation is legally bound to make reasonable adjustments enabling you to return to or remain within the workplace. Provision of specialist equipment and office furniture can also be arranged although you should contact Access to Work yourself as the process is client led.

  • Less than 2 years service - 22 days
  • 2 or more years service - 25 days
  • 5 or more years service - 25 days
  • 10 or more years service - 27 days
  • 15 or more years service - 28 days
  • 20 or more years service - 30 days

In these circumstances, you need to pro rata the annual leave entitlement for the number of completed months of service. Therefore, if you have 10 years' service during October, you'll have completed 6 months service during that leave year. You are therefore entitled to 50% of the annual leave increase, thus giving an increase of 1 day's annual leave to be taken from the October on. The next annual leave year would see the full increase to 27 days. If you were to retire with 30 years' service in October, you'd be entitled to claim 50% of your annual leave entitlement i.e. 15 days or 120 hours.

Yes. Leave can be taken in blocks, as single days or in half days, subject to the exigencies of duty. If taken as a half day, you are not entitled to a meal break.

Yes. It is at the discretion of the chief officer to allow you to carry over up to 5 annual leave days to the next year. However, in exceptional circumstances and if in the interests of the efficiency of the force, more can be granted.

Yes. It is at the discretion of the chief officer to allow you to bring forward up to 5 annual leave days of the next year's annual leave entitlement to be taken in the last month of that year.

If you've been required to work on an annual leave day, or a day taken off in lieu of overtime which is attached to a period of annual leave, where the period of absence is at least 3 days and at least 1 of those days is a day of annual leave, you are entitled to:

For 1 or 2 days an additional 2 days' annual leave (or, if you choose, 1 day's annual leave and 1 day's pay at double time) in lieu of each such day for which you were so recalled; or

For 3 or more days - 2 days' annual leave (or, if you choose, 1 day's annual leave and 1 day's pay at double time) in lieu of each of the first 2 such days for which you were so recalled, and 1.5 days' annual leave (or, if you choose, 1 day's annual leave and 0.5 day's pay at double time) in lieu of each such day for which you were so recalled thereafter.

This applies to those required to work on an annual leave day as well as those recalled on such days.

From 1st May, 2014, if you are required to work on a rest day or free day which is attached to a period of annual leave, that day will be treated as if it were an annual leave day (see above for annual leave remuneration). For this to apply, the period of absence must be of 5 days or more with at least 1 of those days being an annual leave day. You can see the PNB agreement for this here

No. You can't be on annual leave and sickness absence at the same time. However, you can take a break away as long as you are contactable and your journey or break is not detrimental to your recovery. You should inform your supervisor if you wish to go away whilst on sickness absence.

You should contact your Fed rep and try to negotiate a means of progressing the case without the need for you to attend or adjourn the case to a suitable date. Ultimately, though, if warned for court you have to attend. In such circumstances, if going on holiday, the Federation travel insurance will normally cover you for the cancellation or curtailment of your holiday, as long as you were not aware of the court date when the holiday was booked.

Click here to read the agreed Milage rates as Agreed by the (PNB)Police Negotiating Board

Your right to a refreshment break is contained within Police Regulation 22 Annex E. This states that where an officer is on duty for a continuous period of 5 hours or more, they are entitled to a refreshment break, as far as exigencies of duty permit.

Exigencies of service are a pressing need or requirement which cannot be reasonably avoided. However, this does not mean that refreshment breaks can be abused or ignored.

Police Officers are paid for their refreshment break as they are required to remain available to return to duty. Regulations offer little protection when refreshment breaks are not taken or interrupted so we must rely on other legislation to assist, such as Working Time Regulations, as shown below.

Breaches of the Working Time Regulations can be dealt with by an Employment Tribunal or complaint to the Health and Safety Executive who can issue the Force with an improvement notice, or even prosecute the Force if the situation is not improved.

REST BREAKS AT WORK (Regulation 12)

This Regulation provides that where an adult worker's daily working time is more than 6 hours, he/she is entitled to an uninterrupted rest break of not less than 20 minutes, and is entitled to spend it away from his/her work station (if there is one). Albeit subject to the exigencies of duty, the position under the Police Regulations 2003, in Annex E, which provides for a minimum 30 minute break on a sliding scale, is more favourable than this Working Time Regulation and, in most circumstances, should therefore prevail.

Under the local workforce agreement it was agreed that should a daily rest break be interrupted for any reason, the remainder of the time owed will be taken during that day.

By reason of Regulation 12(1): 'Where an adult workers daily working time is more than 6 hours, he is entitled to a rest break'.

There is provision that this rest break should be an uninterrupted period of not less than 20 minutes and be away from the workers 'workstation' if he has one (Regulation 2(3)).

Importantly Regulation 12(2) provides: 'The details of the rest break to which an adult worker is entitled under paragraph (1), including its duration and the terms on which it is granted, shall be in accordance with any provisions for the purposes of this regulation which are contained in a collective agreement or a workforce agreement'.

We are advised that the Working Time Regulations right to a rest break for our members is likely to be 20 minutes. The question has been raised as to when the rest break should be taken. Whereas the Regulations are silent on this, we are advised it is to be anticipated that it should be taken in circumstances where the member works no more than 6 hours without enjoying a rest break. If, therefore, there is a rostered tour of duty of 8 hours, then it will be inappropriate for the WTR rest break of 20 minutes to occur earlier than after 1 hour 40 minutes of the tour (though, of course, members remain entitled, subject to the exigencies of duty, to 45 minutes rest break). If the rest break is, for instance, taken at the beginning of the 8th hour of the tour then the member will have been required to work 7 hours without a rest break and we advise that this is likely to be viewed as contrary to the spirit (if not the letter) of the Working Time Regulations.

It has been reported that in some Forces there are regular breaches of the provisions of Regulation 12 of the Working Time Regulations. The question was raised as to how this entitlement can be enforced.

A member may present a complaint to an Employment Tribunal that the Chief Officer has refused to permit him to exercise any right he has under Regulation 12 (a rest break provision). Such a complaint must be filed within 3 months less one day of the date it is alleged the exercise of the right should have been permitted. This is not a complaint that there is a breach of Regulation 12 but rather a complaint that there has been a refusal on the part of the employer 'to permit' the member to exercise that right.

We are therefore advised that where there are concerns that these rights are being breached, members should notify in writing their supervising officer that they wish to insist on their entitlement to a rest break in accordance with the terms of the Working Time Regulations and seek their proposals to ensure that these provisions can be complied with. There is of course scope for the entitlement to be disapplied either by way of agreement between the Joint Branch Board and the Chief Officer (or by reference to one of the special cases under Regulation 21) but in both instances, there is a requirement for compensatory rest (or protection as may be appropriate in order to safeguard the worker's health and safety).

An example of a successful complaint of a breach of regulation 12 is the decision of the Employment Tribunal in Roberts v Chief Constable of North Wales.

While tribunal decisions are not binding on other tribunals and cases will be affected by their own facts, the following points are worthy of note:

  • The Tribunal accepted that the canteen within the custody suite was away from the Claimants work station;
  • The Tribunal attached significance to the fact that while it might have been possible retrospectively to identify periods in excess of 20 minutes during which the Claimant might have taken a break, this could not be done in advance;
  • The Tribunal applied the European cases on all call and concluded that the whole of the shift was working time;
  • The Tribunal rejected an argument that Regulation 18 might apply. It found there to be no 'inevitable conflict'
  • The Tribunal found that Regulation 21 did apply but that the Force was still in breach because of the failure to provide compensatory rest.

It should however be noted that the Roberts decision was before the decision of the Court of Appeal, in Gallagher v Alpha Catering Services, where it was held that in considering regulation 21, it is necessary to focus on the workers activities rather than the needs of the employer, so as to avoid an employer being able to deliberately under-staff and then rely on the exclusion.

Constables Pay Scales

Rank Pay Scales


Click here to view a quick guide to the Police Regulations

The standard pattern worked under Police Regulations is an 8-hour pattern. We have only signed 3 variable shift agreements, i.e. the 12-hour agreement, the 10-hour NPT agreement and the 2x2x2 agreement.

In that case, the pattern would be ultra vires meaning that it would fall outside Police Regulations and be potentially challengeable in a court.

Generally Police Regulations apply and, if any anomalies are not shown below, you should consult Police Regulations as the default agreement.

12-Hour Agreement

The 12-hour agreement was the first to be signed in the current era. You can view the agreement by clicking here.

On this agreement, officers have to individually sign up to the agreement. If you do not agree to work the pattern, the force would have to require you instead to work an 8-hour pattern.

Shifts are 12 hours in duration and take the form of 2 x day turns followed by 2 x night turns followed by 4 days off. This is a recurring 56 day rota.

The working day is from 0700 to 0700.

Shifts can be staggered by up to 3 hours after 0700 and prior to 1900.

Officers are entitled to 16 hours off in addition to their rostered rest days per 56 day roster in order to balance the hours that will be worked over the 12 month period.

Cancelled rest days - rest days cancelled with more than 15 days' notice will be 12 hours in duration so duties offices should reallocate such days in accordance with Police Regulations, i.e. the date of the re-rostered rest day should be given to the officer within 4 days of the initial cancellation. If the policing of an event lasts less than 12 hours, you should either return to your station for further deployment or, by mutual agreement with your supervisor, take time off your card. If the duty lasts longer than 12 hours, you can then claim overtime at time a third.

Public Holidays - there are a few different scenarios for public holidays:

  • If you work a public holiday, you should be rostered for your normal tour of duty, i.e. 12 hours.
  • If you are rostered on a rest day on a public holiday, you should take the day off and place 8 hours on your overtime card. This is non-payable.
  • If you are rostered to work but are told not to report for duty (normally because of financial considerations), you should take the day off and take 4 hours off your overtime card.
  • PSU duty - the 3 hour stagger rule does not apply to PSU duty due to the health and safety of our members who may be reliant on a PSU to assist.

Working into the first rest day - If you work directly from a tour of duty into your first rest day, you are entitled to time and a half for the number of competed 15 minute periods up to the first 2 hours and, thereafter, a minimum of 4 hours at time and a half. You cannot claim travelling time in these circumstances.

Attending a force training day - If the training is not due to be delivered during your normal tour of duty, you will revert to an 8 hour pattern. OST etc can normally be delivered during a normal tour of duty and you should then use the time before and after the training in a meaningful way.

Meal break entitlement is 70 minutes.

10 Hour NPT Agreement

The 10-hour agreement can be viewed by clicking here.

On this agreement, officers do not have to individually sign up to the agreement and there is no individual opt-out available. This was because the Police Regulations require the agreement to be made between the chief officer and the staff association, not the individual.

Shifts are generally 10 hours in duration and take various forms depending on which of the 5 or so patterns your sector is working. This is a recurring 56 day rota.

The working day is from 0700 to 0700.

Tours of duty can start at any time during the working day but rostered shifts can only be staggered by up to 3 hours.

Cancelled rest days - rest days cancelled with more than 15 days' notice will be 10 hours in duration so duties offices should reallocate such days in accordance with Police Regulations, i.e. the date of the re-rostered rest day should be given to the officer within 4 days of the initial cancellation. If the policing of an event lasts less than 10 hours, you should either return to your station for further deployment or, by mutual agreement with your supervisor, take time off your card. If the duty lasts longer than 10 hours, you can then claim overtime at time a third.

Public Holidays - there are a few different scenarios for public holidays:

  • If you work a public holiday, you should be rostered for your normal tour of duty, i.e. 10 hours.
  • If you are rostered on a rest day on a public holiday, you should take the day off and place 8 hours on your overtime card. This is non-payable.
  • If you are rostered to work but are told not to report for duty (normally because of financial considerations), you should take the day off and take 2 hours off your overtime card.
  • PSU duty - the 3 hour stagger rule does not apply to PSU duty due to the health and safety of our members who may be reliant on a PSU to assist.

Working into the first rest day - If you work directly from a tour of duty into your first rest day, you are entitled to time and a half for the number of competed 15 minute periods up to the first 2 hours and, thereafter, a minimum of 4 hours at time and a half. You cannot claim travelling time in these circumstances.

Attending a force training day - If the training is not due to be delivered during your normal tour of duty, you will revert to an 8 hour pattern. OST etc can normally be delivered during a normal tour of duty and you should then use the time before and after the training in a meaningful way.

Meal break entitlement is 60 minutes.

2x2x2 Staffordshire Agreement

The 2x2x2 agreement can be viewed by clicking here.

On this agreement, officers do not have to individually sign up to the agreement and there is no individual opt-out available. This was because the Police Regulations require the agreement to be made between the chief officer and the staff association, not the individual.

Shifts are generally 9 hours in duration but the below indicates when this changes:

  • Friday and Saturday day turns - 10 hours
  • Friday and Saturday afternoon turns (supernoons) - 11 hours
  • Training/Pro-active days - 10 hours
  • Working days follow a general pattern of 2 x day turns, 2x2 afternoon turns, 2x2 night turns followed 4 days off. This is a recurring 20-week rota.

The working day is from 0700 to 0700.

Standard start times for these tours of duty are 0700hrs for day shifts, 1500hrs for late shifts (except Friday and Saturday when the start time is 1600hrs) and 2200hrs for night shifts. These start times may be staggered by local arrangement up to 3 hours after 0700 hrs, 3 hours before or after 1500hrs and 3 hours before 2200hrs.

Cancelled rest days - rest days cancelled with more than 15 days' notice will be 9 hours in duration so duties offices should reallocate such days in accordance with Police Regulations, i.e. the date of the re-rostered rest day should be given to the officer within 4 days of the initial cancellation. If the policing of an event lasts less than 9 hours, you should either return to your station for further deployment or, by mutual agreement with your supervisor, take time off your card. If the duty lasts longer than 9 hours, you can then claim overtime at time a third.

Public Holidays - there are a few different scenarios for public holidays:

  • If you work a public holiday, you should be rostered for your normal tour of duty, i.e. 9, 10 or 11hours.
  • If you are rostered on a rest day on a public holiday, you should take the day off and re-roster the rest day.
  • If you are rostered to work but are told not to report for duty (normally because of financial considerations), you should take the day off and not deduct any time from your overtime card.
  • PSU duty - the 3 hour stagger rule does not apply to PSU duty due to the health and safety of our members who may be reliant on a PSU to assist.

Working into the first rest day - If you work directly from a tour of duty into your first rest day, you are entitled to time and a half for the number of competed 15 minute periods up to the first 1 hour and, thereafter, a minimum of 4 hours at time and a half. You cannot claim travelling time in these circumstances.

Attending a force training day - If the training is not due to be delivered during your normal tour of duty, you will revert to a 9 hour pattern. This does not refer to the shift training/pro-active days but to other forms of force training (driving courses etc).

Meal break entitlement is 60 minutes.

No. The agreement applies to constables and sergeants but Inspectors and above are not subject to a VSA. Those officers can insist on Police Regulations being applied.

You should convert both annual leave and acting up into hours for the purposes of each of the VSA's.

What time does my working day start

For those officers who are working an 8hr pattern the working day starts at 06:00 and ends at 06:00 the following day.

For those on a variable shift pattern (VSA), the working day starts at 07:00 and ends at 07:00 the following day.

As you are aware there have been changes to the arrangements for officers who are acting up or are temporary promoted. A recent Home Office circular endorses previous guidance received therefore, we are now in a position to publish a policy on this matter.

Home Office Determination

PNB Agreement

PNB Agreement - Updated

If an officer acts up, the qualifying period for claiming acting up allowance is now 10 complete days cumulative (in the case of a part-time officer 80 complete hours, and an officer with variable shift arrangements qualifying shifts amounting in total to 80 hours), rather than 14 days, in any 12 month period beginning on 1st April.

If an officer acts up for a further 46 consecutive days following the qualifying period then they should be automatically temporarily promoted. It is important to note that an officer would only be eligible for temporary promotion if he/she has passed i.e. OPSRE part 1 and 2.

The ethos of the PNB circular is to support an officer’s development by providing opportunities for him/her to experience the duties of a higher rank therefore, there is an assumption that priority for these opportunities will be given to those qualified for promotion.

However, there is a facility within the PNB agreement to pay temporary salary to officers who are not qualified and act up longer than 56 days. This is a new concept and should only be utilised when there are no qualified officers available for acting up duties that are likely to exceed 56 days and/or during a rare occasion when the Chief Constable is required to respond to “an overwhelming operational emergency that requires an immediate application”.

There is clearly a cost to the organisation of acting up, temporary promotion or temporary salary therefore the necessity test still applies as follows:

  • Is there a statutory need for an officer to act up, OR
  • Is there an operational or organisational need to cover a position in the absence of the post holder
  • What will actually be achieved by designating an officer to act up
  • Is there another substantive officer who could perform any of the duties during an absence.

Your General Manager will be aware of the above and will have worked with HR to devise a new administrative process. Salary for temporary promotion and temporary salary is reckonable therefore, when an officer becomes eligible for temporary promotion or temporary salary HR must be informed in order that their salary can be amended accordingly. HR will require an “end date” for periods of temporary promotion/temporary salary in addition to which any change in circumstance e.g. protracted sickness should be communicated to HR Shared Services in order that overpayment does not occur.

There has been a delay in publishing information about this matter as we have been seeking clarification from the Home Office on specific aspects of the appropriate PNB agreements, therefore, some officers may wish to claim backdated payment, this is acceptable but must be authorised prior to submission. Please note the PNB agreement was published on 31st January 2012 so claims would be valid from that date.

I trust this clarifies the position,a policy supporting the above will be published shortly. If you have any queries please let me know and please encourage your supervisors and managers to contact your HR Business Partner or the HR Helpdesk for clarification.

Mark Milton MCIPD
Director of Human Resources

At the Police Negotiating Board meeting on 9 February 2005 it was agreed that the incidental expenses allowance for those attending residential training courses should be frozen at its current level of £4.43 per night. The maximum allowance is £17.77 per week except where an officer has to attend for a week’s course of training on the preceding Sunday night and will thus be in attendance for five nights.