Hi folks, The Leicestershire Force has rallied to the cause of police widow Allison Charlton (nee Munn). I travelled to Leicestershire Police HQ yesterday morning for a meeting with regard to Allison’s case. On August 15th 2002 PC Andy Munn and fellow officer PC Bryan Moore following a 50 mile pursuit - attempted to stop a speeding driver using a stinger device. Andy was killed instantly as the driver rammed his van into their stationary patrol car, and Bryan died a short time later of his injuries. Allison and Sarah have both remarried; Allison had her pension revoked upon remarriage as per the 1987 regulations. Sarah remarried in December last year and as she was unmarried by 1st April 2015, under the new rules she will keep her police widow’s pension for life. Allison was at the meeting along with fed rep Matt Robinson to speak with the Police and Crime Commissioner Lord William Bach who has promised to look into this bizarre situation. Lord Bach has described Allison’s personal situation as, “A complete scandal” and has undertaken to do everything that can be done to put if right, “As it is a matter of simple fairness.” Sarah Everitt (nee Moore) also attended the meeting to show support for Allison and other police widows that did not benefit from the changes in January. Force Chief Constable Simon Cole is also supportive of Allison’s case. I was at the meeting as the irritating know-it-all that has spent far too many hours reading about the debacle that is result of the 1987 Police Pension Regulations. So Leicestershire has everything in hand what about the rest of us? What can we do? I hear you cry (I hope I hear you cry). As you will be aware Theresa May now leads the nation and Mike Penning has also moved onto pastures new; Amber Rudd is the new Home Secretary and Brandon Lewis is Policing Minister. New brooms often sweep clean so this is an opportunity for Ms Rudd and Mr Lewis to make their mark by righting a terrible wrong by granting lifelong pensions for All remaining police widows. Parliament is now in recess so your MP will be back on home turf – please contact them and ask them to establish contact with the new Home Secretary and Policing Minister on your behalf. Ask them to submit questions when the House reconvenes in September. If you can arrange an appointment please consider a face-to-face meeting as it is more personal than an email. Mr Cameron is still an MP – at least at the time of writing – and may actually have more freedom to assist us in his role as a back bencher. Amanda Keylock is no longer readily available to contact Mr Cameron due to business commitments so any constituent that is willing to make contact we need you! Rt Hon David Cameron MP Contact details: Parliamentary House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA Tel: 020 7219 3475 Fax: 020 7219 0918 Constituency West Oxfordshire Conservative Association, Waterloo House, 58-60 High Street, Witney, Oxfordshire, OX28 6HJ Tel: 01993 702302 Web & Social media • Website: www.witneyconservative... • Twitter: @david_cameron Part of our new mission is to contact Ms Rudd and Mr Lewis in large numbers – these are their contact details: Rt Hon Amber Rudd Home Secretary Parliamentary House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA Tel: 020 7219 7229 Fax: 020 7219 6545 Email: amber.rudd.mp@parliament.uk Constituency Swallow House, Theaklen Drive, Hastings, St Leonards on Sea, East Sussex, TN38 9AZ Tel: 01424 716756 Departmental Home Office, 2 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DF Tel: 020 7035 4848 Email: privateoffice.external@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk Web & Social media • Website: www.amberrudd.co.uk • Twitter: @amberruddhr • Website: www.gov.uk/government/... Rt Hon Brandon Lewis MP Policing Minister Parliamentary House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA Tel: 020 7219 7231 Email: helen.hill@parliament.uk Constituency 20 Church Plain, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, NR30 1NE Tel: 01493 854 550 Email: office@brandonlewis.co Web & Social media • Website: www.brandonlewis.co/ • Twitter: @brandonlewis Write to your force’s Chief Constable and your Police and Crime Commissioner – if Leicestershire is prepared to rally behind Allison, will your husband’s former force weigh in on your behalf and if not why not? http://www.apccs.police.uk/find-your-pcc/ I hope that the most senior members of our police family consider that they have a responsibility to us its most vulnerable members. The emails of Chief Constables etc. tend to follow this format: JaneSawyers@staffordshire.pnn.police.uk simon.cole@leicestershire.pnn.police.uk Contact your local NARPO/Scottish Association of Retired Police Officers Branch and introduce yourself if you are not already a member; make them aware of responses that you receive from your MP/SMP. For those of you that have supplied Julie Butterworth with your personal stories, please ask if your Chief Constable and Police and Crime Commissioner would be prepared to pose for a photo and provide a comment for Julie’s article. Our police family is huge – we need to be pulling together on this. As always copies of all communication to me please at CathrynHall@outlook.com The Government reshuffle is a golden opportunity – we must not waste it. Now if you will excuse me I am going for a lie down in a darkened room…… Cathryn