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.

You can send copied documents in any standard digital format.

Reply

Prior to release of Home Office circular 46/2004 Lincolnshire Police were in category B i.e. we continued to pay benefits at the same rate until the death of the officer. This is no longer the case and the Force operates to the guidance issued in the circular.

Lincolnshire Police in complying with their statutory duty under sections 1 and 11 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to release the enclosed information will not breach the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. However, the rights of the copyright owner of the enclosed information will continue to be protected by law.  Applications for the copyright owner's written permission to reproduce any part of the attached information should be addressed to The Force Solicitor, Lincolnshire Police, PO Box 999, Lincoln LN5 7PH