Widows should not be punished, says Police Federation The widow of a police officer who died on duty is campaigning for a change in pension regulations. The Police Federation of England and Wales is urging others to sign Kate Hall’s petition which is campaigning for police widows to keep their pensions for life, regardless of whether their relationship status changes after the death of their police officer spouse. Police Federation Legislation Sub-Committee Chairman Adele Kirkwood said: “We are calling on the Government to honour its commitment to the widows and widowers of police officers who die while in the force. “These men and women have paid the ultimate price to keep their communities safe and are often the main breadwinners of the families they leave behind. “Depriving widows of their pensions if they then go on to have another relationship seems like a double punishment and assumes that new partners are in a position to financially support widows and their children. This ultimately denies them money that is rightfully theirs, exposing them to financial hardship and is grossly unfair.” Kate was just 24 when her husband Colin, 40, collapsed and died after having a heart attack while working as a police dog handler for West Midlands police after being called to a disturbance at a block of flats in 1987. Their daughter Kelly was four at the time. After Colin’s death, Kate met her new partner, John, in 1994 when she enrolled in a college to improve her job prospects to support herself and her daughter. John was studying at the same college as Kate and they began a relationship. In 2001, they decided to live together as a couple, resulting in the loss of Kate’s police pension. Kate’s daughter, Kelly, is now 31 and wishes to marry her partner, but the young couple cannot afford to do so. It is customary for the parents of the bride to pay for the wedding, but the loss of Kelly’s police officer father and the cessation of Kate's widow’s pension, means that re-partnering comes as a double blow to mother and daughter. “This is something Colin would have done for her,” Kate said. Since 1 July this year, widows of officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland whose pensions were ceased on re-marriage have had their pensions re-instated. But those widowed before 1 January 1989 are still subject to 1988 regulations and work still in progress to ensure parity for all police widows in Northern Ireland. Kate has launched a petition calling for a similar change to be applied for those in England and Wales and the Police Federation is urging people to sign it. The petition also has the support of National Association of Retired Police Officers (NARPO). Chief Executive of NARPO, Clint Elliott said: “NARPO are supporting Kate’s campaign and we will continue to fight for a change to this outdated restriction which leaves police widows with the unenviable choice between a future relationship and financial security. “We hope the Government will lead the change that improves the position for our widow members and all police widows throughout the UK.” At the time of writing, Kate had 69,487 signatures on her petition. She needs 100,000 signatures before the petition can trigger a debate in Parliament. Sign Kate Hall’s petition here http://chn.ge/1AtSlw4