Essex Police Federation new offices – Questions answered

WHY does Essex Police Federation need a new headquarters? How much did it cost? What benefits do serving front line officers get from this new office?

Essex Police Federation secretary Monty Montgomery (MM) – pictured left – and chairman Mark Smith (MS) sat down with EssexFedFocus to discuss the Federation’s new offices in the heart of Chelmsford.

Click here/see below for full interview.

Why did you buy a new headquarters for Essex Police Federation? 

MM: We have been looking for one since 2006. Because of the way the funding rules work, we have to be very careful with what we do with the money we have in our accounts and one of the things we have to do is make money work for us. So we took the decision years ago that we would invest the money in property, and we wanted to move away from headquarters as well as invest the money that we have.

We were in premises run by Essex Police, we had no control over that and at any time the chief constable could have asked us to leave. There were a couple of moments where we thought that might happen and we wanted to be in a position where we weren’t beholden to the chief constable and we could control our own destiny. We also wanted a bolt hole – a safe environment where officers could come – bearing in mind some of them come to us when they are under the effects of stress, where they are being investigated for misconduct, they could be suspended, so we wanted somewhere away from police headquarters where officers could feel safe and non-threatened and where we could do a good job. And that is what we feel we have in the current premises.

MS: We are very happy with the new premises. I have already had good feedback from an officer who has come in. They felt that it was a member-safe environment. We are not sat in an old four bedroom house. We are in somewhere that was designed to serve our members. That is what it is about. It is for the future.

How much did it cost? 

MM: The premises cost in the region of £460,000 and then we have had refurbishment work – we have practically had the building gutted. We’ve started from fresh. When we bought the building it was lots of small, dark offices, so we have removed all the internal walls, we’ve replaced the windows, we have had new furniture and offices put in, the whole building has been brought up to 21st century standards, we’ve had a new computer system installed so the total refurbishment work, is in the region of £150,000 plus £30,000 for all the IT and conference room.

Officers might ask why spend that much? Why not give that money back as rebate? 

MM: We had a look at locally doing this and the simple answer is that the law does not allow us to do that – the fund rules guide us and we cannot just give the money back. There are guidelines about how we use that money – we have to make the money work and giving the money back was not an option. That is what the legal advice said. We need to remember that the money we have built up isn’t just from current members but from members from 20, 30, 40 years ago. If we were to divide the money up – how much would we attribute to current subscribing members, retired officers. It is just too complicated.

MS: It is very complicated. You have officers currently serving in Essex, you have to work out what percentage each person gets, have they gone in and out of the federation, has the subscription changed over the years, you have to look at the rest of country – how many officers have transferred, every superintendent, and retired officers – anyone that is living but retired from Essex – you would have to take them into account, because it’s their money as well. It would be impossible. It is unlawful and it couldn’t be done.

What benefits do serving front line officers get from this new office? 

MS: If you are an officer that has been a subscribing member but has never had to use the federation, you may not get any benefit from the new office, but you weren’t getting any benefit from the money sitting in the bank either. The subscription you are paying is a legal insurance – that’s all you’re paying for. The difference is that if you are an officer that did need to use it, you are in a professional, member-safe environment, away from headquarters, in an environment where the professional standards department can’t just walk in unannounced or see you talking to us.

MM: The Essex Police officer that doesn’t get in trouble, that doesn’t have to see us, may well benefit from our new offices because Mark, Andy Hastings [principle officer responsible for conduct matters] and myself can do business in an area that is professional, puts out a professional image and is an area we can meet chief officers and other managers and negotiate and influence on their behalf because that is what we do. This office is a far better environment to do that rather than the very cramped office we’ve come from.

What is a member-safe environment?

MM: It is somewhere where an officer who is off sick for stress or is being investigated for misconduct or even a criminal offence, they can come to a premises that is away from police headquarters, they are not having to walk through headquarters estate to get to our building and by not doing so they are not bumping into people that work in professional standards, or a boss that they have got an issue with, or have taken a grievance out against. When they come to our new offices, they don’t have to worry about it being police premises. So it means if an officer is suspended from duty, they can come to us without having to ask permission.

What are the main benefits of this new office in your eyes?

MS: Space – downstairs we’ve got interview rooms and conference room. We’ve got a brand new computer system that links us into Leatherhead [Police Federation of England and Wales national HQ]. Every member will have a profile and if they contact us they can they can attach forms and we can pass everything straight to Leatherhead – if we need legal advice or backing, it’s all done electronically. We had to rely on post before, so it’s quicker.

MM: We have also got accessibility. I know that where we were was in the middle of headquarters, but it was strongly hinted that force HQ was going to be sold at some point. We are now accessible in Chelmsford, we are opposite our own solicitors, we are close to railway and bus station and who knows where HQ is going to move to?

Any final comments for members on the new Federation headquarters?

MS: What we have spent on the premises – we haven’t spent it, we’ve invested it. The premises are now, I would guess, worth more than when we bought it. When we bought, property prices were low. The work inside has enhanced the value of the building. We haven’t lost that money; it’s invested. The building was purchased following a positive vote of the Joint Branch Board. That is all the constables, sergeants and inspector representatives elected by our members decided that this was the right way to go. We have planned for the inside of the building to serve us for 10, 20, 30 years to come and if in that time they decided to sell the building, it is in an area which will be of interest to people, rather than being stuck out on an industrial estate. It’s in the middle of the town and I think it is very sellable.