UK police officers face pay cuts if they can't prove their fitness in annual tests

**Jenna** · 03-15-12, 12:18 PM

British police officers must prove their fitness in annual tests or have their pay docked after a survey found that 53 percent were overweight and one in 100 was morbidly obese, a review concluded on Thursday.

The review, which comes as the government seeks to make cuts of some 20 percent to police budgets as part of austerity measures, recommended other wide-ranging changes which would allow officers to be sacked, cut starting salaries, raise the pension age and require staff to have better qualifications.

More here: Obese UK police officers face pay cuts | Reuters

**Trojan 42** · 03-15-12, 01:21 PM

Oh it's far worse than just Jenna. This 'independent' review, by a man appointed by the Government, wants all sorts of ridiculous things. The right to sack police officers ( at the moment in the UK, officers can't be sacked as you are a 'Crown Servant'). Reduction in pay for all police constables. Direct entry for the roles of Inspector and Chief Superintendent. The list goes on and on. I never thought I'd say it, but I am so glad I'm retired and don't have to put up with this shit!

**Rhino** · 03-15-12, 02:56 PM

While it certainly sucks you guys are getting bent over a barrel, it's somewhat comforting to know it's not just us cops over here getting screwed.

I could understand a condition of a pay raise would mean passing a physical fitness test. But this kind of negative reinforcement really does a job on morale.

**Trojan 42** · 03-16-12, 04:57 AM

I forgot to mention that the guy wants to raise the retirement age to 60! At the moment you can take retirement when you reach 30 years service (so 49 if you join at 19), so instead of 30 years it would be 41 for your pension. Which he wants you to pay 13-14% of your pay per month.

**Standard Dave** · 03-16-12, 07:10 AM

New officers will start on £19,000 it's 23,500 at present, this apparently is to attract the brightest and best

Formal academic qualifications will be required for the first time in decades or prior experience as a volunteer special constable or police staff - see where thats going policing for free or on the cheap before you can get a job as a constable.

One things thats been totally missed is direct entry for Chief Constables - so now elected party political Crime commisioners will be able to parachute in anyone they want they won't have to be a British national and previous experience appears to say they must have worked in Policing but is at the disretion of the commisioner and home secretary.

Officers will be sacked for ill health and failure to "perform" how this performance which will also affect pay is going to be measured hasn't been explained.

**Tango Zulu 22** · 03-16-12, 09:28 AM

Has anyone noticed the string of knock the police stories that have been trickled out in the media over the last few weeks, culminating in the Hillsborough comments yesterday?

Obviously they were never meant to sow negative thoughts about the Police in the UK so that there is little if any public support for the Police now that Windsor has published his hatchet job.

Or is it just me that's cynical?

Seriously glad I'm out of it but I really feel for those of you left behind.

**Trojan 42** · 03-16-12, 10:00 AM

I thought that exact thing today TZ, so not just you that's cynical.

**Tango Zulu 22** · 03-18-12, 06:36 AM

As an aside to this, the fitness test is a doodle.

Some years ago, my old force used the standard test as an annual check for AFO's ( Authorised Firearms Officers )

It was so easy that it wasn't taken too seriously, one section did it backwards, another hopped all the way through and finally the bosses got fed up when one enterprising team did the test whilst eating pies!

We then moved up to a more stringent one which made you sweat and blow a bit towards the end.

**Trojan 42** · 03-18-12, 09:16 AM

Originally Posted by Tango Zulu 22

As an aside to this, the fitness test is a doodle.

Some years ago, my old force used the standard test as an annual check for AFO's ( Authorised Firearms Officers )

It was so easy that it wasn't taken too seriously, one section did it backwards, another hopped all the way through and finally the bosses got fed up when one enterprising team did the test whilst eating pies!

We then moved up to a more stringent one which made you sweat and blow a bit towards the end.

Our original 'Firearms' fitness test was like that, and some of ours ran it backwards too. The PTI's got the right hump when I stopped at the required number of press ups and sit ups. They said ''but you could do more if you tried''. I said ''I know that, I can do at least 3 times the required amount, but if I do, next year you lot will make it harder, so no thanks''.

**IMGreat101** · 03-18-12, 09:38 AM

Why can't they force this on politicians?

Not just physical but financial too.

**Motorwaycop** · 03-18-12, 03:43 PM

Maybe they should let the students trash conservative HQ ..again.

**Jenna** · 03-18-12, 07:49 PM

Originally Posted by Tango Zulu 22

It was so easy that it wasn't taken too seriously, one section did it backwards, another hopped all the way through and finally the bosses got fed up when one enterprising team did the test whilst eating pies!

Sounds like something out of Monty Python!