Many police forces are freezing recruitment or forcing experienced officers to retire Labour has claimed plans to forcibly retire police officers with more than 30 years’ service in England and Wales will not achieve substantial savings.
Research commissioned by shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, suggests it may even cost money initially, if officers choose to take lump sums.
The coalition’s Spending Review set police budget cuts at 20% by 2014-15.
The government has said that savings can be made without affecting front-line policing.
BBC political correspondent Iain Watson said 13 of the 43 police authorities in England and Wales intend to use clause A19, compelling some officers with more than 30 years’ service to retire – and it is estimated around 2,000 posts will go.
In the research commissioned by Ms Cooper, the House of Commons library calculated that if a constable on £36,500 a year retires, the net saving per year would be £2,500.
There would only be a similar saving if a chief superintendent on twice that salary retires, taking into account the cost of their police pension and the loss of tax and national insurance.
If an officer opted to take a lump sum payment, costs to the public purse will outweigh any savings in the first year of their retirement.
The government says the same procedure existed under Labour, and chief constables take both the “efficiency and effectiveness” of their forces into account before using it.
A Home Office spokesman said: “There are no additional costs to using A19. Hundreds of police officers retire every year after 30 years of service.
“It is a matter for individual chief constables, with their police authorities, to decide whether to use regulation A19. They are best placed to judge if this long-standing power should be used to ensure the efficiency of their force.”
Last week Sussex Police said 75 officers with 30 years’ service could be forced to retire this year as the force seeks to save £52m by 2015.
Chief Constable Martin Richards said it was a “very reluctant decision forced by the money debate”.
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