Hi folks,

With the average age of a police widow being 75, I was dismayed to hear that people over 70 will be asked to self-isolate for up to 4 months due to the Coronavirus outbreak. It is inevitable that this will have a detrimental impact upon some within that age group that are still in receipt of a police widow’s pension.

Remaining unmarried and prevented from moving in with a partner due to the 1987 Police Pension Regulations, some members of our team are already suffering the effects of solitude and isolation, and this may be compounded by the necessity to self-isolate.

Some of you will be aware that the Home Office has circulated a survey seeking views on the principle of implementing a Police Covenant in England and Wales, to enhance support for the police and their families.

The Home Office are inviting us to contact them; this is an opportunity that is too good to miss. This may have begun as an economic campaign - but now it is personal, and if ever there was a time that the most vulnerable members of the police family needed justice – that time is now.

The Home Office says that police widows’ pensions do not fall within their remit; I reject these claims. 

Anyone can complete the survey which is available by following this link;

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/police-covenant-for-england-and-wales

Scroll down to the word document if you find it impossible to edit the other versions.

I have completed and submitted my survey – mentioning our police widows’ campaign throughout; this was before the impending self-isolation of the over 70s and this should now be included.

Below is my answer to Question 2 to get you started. However, as always, your opinions written in your own words are preferable; the important thing is to mention our campaign at every opportunity.

Q2 “I have a personal interest in the introduction of a Police Covenant as I am a police widow that has had my pension revoked because I moved in with my partner.

It was the Armed Forces Covenant that allowed the government to justify the changes to armed forces survivor pensions in 2014 – granting the majority of them their pensions for life.

Although you have stated that, “the issues faced in policing are very different from those experienced by members of the armed forces” – the daily risk to life and limb is comparable, and so too are the issues faced by the families of police officers and the families of armed forces personnel. 

In 2014/2015 members of the Police Widows’ Campaign provided the then Policing Minister Mike Penning, with clear and compelling evidence of the challenges that police, and armed forces survivors have in common. Evidence that, like armed forces personnel – police officers face danger and risk to life on a daily basis. That clear and compelling evidence led to amendments to the Police (Injury Benefit) Regulations 2006 and subsequently the 1987 Police Pension Regulations.

As Coordinator of the Police Widows’ Campaign I reject recent claims from the Home Office that police widows’ pensions do not fall within their remit; I have lost count of the number of letters we have received from a succession of policing ministers – refusing us parity with Northern Ireland and lifelong pensions for all police widows.

The Hutton Report advises that due to the unique service of armed forces, police and fire service personnel – their widows should be ring fenced from the rest of the public service sector. This advice coupled with a Police Covenant would provide justification for lifelong pensions for all police widows…”

On behalf of the lonely and the scared within the police family, those who would wish to spend their twilight years in loving relationships; who would wish to be spending this difficult time with a loved one, when instead they are isolated - not  because it is the sensible thing to do in a crisis such as we currently face, but because the regulations have decided for them - sometimes decades ago, that they should live alone; please complete the survey.

It is one of the ways that we can say, “We are still here and whether it be a global pandemic or inequality and injustice, we are still fighting…”

Stay safe one and all – I’m thinking about you, and as the song says, “With all my heart hoping you’re okay.”

Best wishes as always,

Cathryn

CathrynHall11@gmail.com