Federation: Officers should be rewarded for any extra work

THE introduction of advanced practitioner constables to policing in England and Wales should see reward accompany the extra responsibility.

That’s the view of Essex Police Federation after it was announced eight forces are introducing the new role which has been developed for more experienced PCs – although it is unlikely they will receive any extra pay at this point. Essex Police is not taking part in the pilot.

Advanced practitioner constables will take on more complex work which would be more similar to the lowest levels of the sergeant rank – according to a draft document provided by the College of Policing.

They will be expected to lead complex casework, assess how procedures can be developed and improved and think and plan ahead for weeks and months.

But Essex Police Federation has said it is not fair to ask people to take on extra risk and responsibility, without paying them for their efforts.

Steve Taylor, Federation Chairman, said: “You should be rewarded financially for the risk that you carry. If you are not, I don’t see that being fair. I am certainly not on board with it.

“We already have advanced PCs; some of them with advanced skill sets, and we already have areas of the business where, arguably, the role you fulfil is more than the rank that you hold. Is this a way of recognising those skills? I’m not entirely sure until I see the fine print and the detail, but in principle I understand those skills as being something that are worthy of reward. Now up until this point that reward has come through. You get yourself promoted, and you use that as evidence to get yourself up the ladder.

“When you’re looking to get promoted you naturally put yourself out, get your name known by the right people for the right reasons, to take on additional responsibility. Do we need to give it a title? I don’t think we do.”