Human Resources
Injury Awards Review
At the Police Federation conference in May, the Home Secretary announced her intention to launch a consultation exercise this summer on the review of the police injury awards scheme.
The review of police injury benefits (new window) consultation has now closed. The consultation period ran for 12 weeks, finishing on 18 November 2008. It provided everyone with an opportunity to make their own views heard.
Effective, efficient and consistent
The review has given us the chance to ensure that we have an injury awards system that:
- is suitable for modern day policing
- provides assistance to officers and their families as effectively as possible
- is administered efficiently and with consistency across all forces.
The proposals in the consultation document cover a range of issues, including the eligibility criteria for receiving an award, the structure of benefits under the scheme for both former officers and their survivors, and the role of police authorities and selected medical practitioners.
Key proposals include:
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the introduction of life-long adult survivor benefits and the extension of survivor benefits to unmarried and unregistered partners
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a simplification of survivor awards, so that they are all based on average pensionable pay and are easier to understand and apply
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revising the eligibility criteria so it conforms more closely to the concept of ‘in the line of duty’. This includes removing eligibility for injuries sustained on journeys to and from work, and deaths sustained in the same circumstances
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a five-year time limit for new post retirement claims, except in the case of named progressive illnesses or those with a long incubation period, and an automatic cut-off for new claims at 65
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an automatic halving of each officer’s minimum income guarantee at 65, with no further reviews.
It is important to note that these proposals will affect only those officers still serving at the time of implementation, regardless of whether they have already sustained an injury.
Those officers already retired at the point the changes are implemented will still be dealt with under the system, as it currently stands, even if they have not yet applied for an award.
Huge savings for the police
We expect that the changes will, over time, result in an overall saving of approximately £4.5m for each year’s worth of new awards over their lifetime (i.e. on a net present value basis).
There will also be other savings. For example, improvements in data handling, which we can’t put a value on, but will have an impact over time. This is outlined in more detail in the impact assessment (new window).
