DEVON & CORNWALL

C O N S T A B U L A R Y

RECORD 1

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUEST NO 84/2009-00278

I am requesting certain documents that you may have detailing force

policy and procedure in the management and review of police injury

award pensions prior to the year 2004.

To help you in your search and to direct my enquiry as clearly as

possible I am quoting below a paragraph from Home Office Circular

46/2004, Annex C:

'This Guidance is being issued to help ensure a fairer, more

cohesive approach to the payment of injury benefits to ill-health

retired officers who have reached the compulsory retirement age

with their Force. A recent survey found that practice in this area

was diverse. Some forces automatically reduced degree of

disablement benefits to the lowest banding when this age had been

reached - others continued to pay benefits at the same rate until

the death of the Officer concerned.'

The above quote identifies two categories of forces - A) one group

that automatically reduced degree of disablement benefits to the

lowest banding when compulsory retirement age had been reached and

a second group B) that continued to pay benefits at the same rate

until the death of the Officer concerned.

I am attempting to identify and obtain a copy of documents that

show which category ( A or B) your force would have been included

in prior to receipt of HOC 46/2004.

It may be that your response would be sufficient if you simply tell

me which group your force was in, but if there was a written policy

or procedural document setting out details, then I should like a

copy.

Devon & Cornwall Constabulary does not hold a policy in respect of the management and review of Injury Award Pensions prior to the year 2004.

However, the Human Resources Department has provided the following information in respect of the two categories that you give:

Devon & Cornwall Constabulary had undertaken some reviews of injury awards prior to 2004, therefore we do not fall into category B as some benefits were paid at a different rate as a result of the reviews that were conducted. However, the Force didn't automatically reduce the degree of disablement upon reaching the compulsory retirement age for all officers (Category A) and therefore we cannot confirm that we fall into either category.