Staffordshire Police facing A19 claims

Seventy-four of the 78 former Staffordshire Police officers who were forcibly retired through Regulation A19 have lodged a claim against the force.

Police Pension Regulation A19 enables officers below the rank of chief officer to be forcibly retired after 30 years’ service “in the general interests of efficiency”.

The regulation has been used by forces to reduce officer numbers in response to cuts in funding.

In February, members of the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) from North Wales, South Wales, West Midlands, Nottinghamshire and Devon and Cornwall and the Police Superintendents’ Association of England and Wales (PSAEW) brought five test cases to an employment tribunal on behalf of 250 officers forced out under Regulation A19.

The London Central Employment Tribunal found that the use of Regulation A19 was “not a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim”, paving the way for hundreds of officers to claim compensation for their enforced early retirement.

The five test forces which lost the original decision in February have lodged an appeal which is ongoing.

In a statement, Staffordshire Police said: “This was a lengthy and complex case during which many key aspects of law relating to indirect discrimination were subject to detailed legal argument. In Staffordshire, the decision to implement A19 was an extremely difficult one, made out of necessity to help the force meet the financial challenges it faced.

“While no Staffordshire officers were involved in the original employment tribunal claims, the force has since received a Notice of a Claim listing 74 claims and have referred this to our legal services department to respond and assess.

“At this point we are still unclear how many of these cases may result in a successful claim.”