During this national Public Health Emergency, we have received some requests for clarification of NARPO’s position on the use of retired Police officers, on a voluntary basis or potentially re-joining the Police Service in some capacity or as a Police officer.
There has been a suggestion in an article from a former MPS Commissioner, and also from the current Commissioner, that retired police officers could be used in some capacity
NARPO members account for approximately two thirds of all retired Police officers. Our view is that we know that many retired police officers already perform voluntary work for Police Forces throughout the country.
We agree that retired police officers have certain skills and experience which could assist the Police in these extraordinary and difficult times. However, we are also mindful that many of those retired officers will also fall into the vulnerable category because of their age or health. For NARPO, our members’ personal health and well-being is a primary concern.
We are also aware of many local NARPO Branches providing support to their vulnerable Members and our Business Support and Communications is putting together a guide that Branches can use.
Re-joining the Police
There are two ways to re-join the Police Service, either retiring and re-joining in a role which is materially different from that of a Police officer, or re-joining the Police as a Police Officer.
On the former there is information on our website-
As Regulations stand, if someone wishes to re-join as a Police Officer, the Police pension would be abated i.e. the person would stop receiving it until they retire again from the Police.
The pension would still increase in line with CPI.
There is one Force, and there may be others, which has a scheme for re-joining the Police. However, there is no national guidance, as yet.
There are also some Forces which are asking for volunteer
Members should be directed to their individual Forces, should they wish to find further information on volunteering or re-joining the Police service.
We feel it is for each retired officer to make their own decision whether they wish to volunteer or not, taking into account their own individual circumstances and we would fully support those who wish to volunteer to assist the Police service and help the vulnerable at this challenging time.
Last year’s lunch was very eventful. When I met Kate Waylan we had a discussion about bringing the Dog Section back to Notts rather than it being regionalised.
She agreed with my points and said this was something she would set in motion.
This has now happened and Notts Police Dog Section are now raising their own Police Dogs from pups.
Kate also had the idea of naming the new recruits by deceased dog handlers families in honour of the dedication given by these officers. Having a police dog was a family commitment.
The first two pups have recently arrived and l have had the pleasure of naming the first ‘Flak’ in honour of Brian and his special dog .
PC Ged Walker’s wife Tracey joined me and named the second dog ‘Bart’ after his dog, who was with him on the day of his attach.
We have done a promotion piece on the Notts Police Website.
Many Thanks Gilly Hagen
The Government/Health advisers have not as yet put any form of prohibition on the gatherings which are open to members until or unless the situation changes, it is intended that these will continue. Members should note the guidance that they should self-isolate if they are suffering from a continuous cough or running a high temperature and in all instances we should observe the rigours of hygiene, particularly regular and thorough hand washing.
It is appreciated that individuals need to take their own decisions as to their intended lifestyle whilst the pandemic exists. However, where possible we should continue to care for family, friends, neighbours and NARPO members, especially those who may be in isolation. From a NARPO perspective, it is requested that the committee regularly check the websites which indicate the current situation. People may have welfare needs and to assist without compromising safety they may do so but if there are extreme needs that cannot be met then these should be referred to an appropriate agency eg NHS, Social Care Services, food bank etc.
Moving to the Branch AGM which is scheduled for , please let us know if you are intending to attend and also, if you have signified that you are attending but have changed your mind (we need to know numbers for catering and fire safety purposes).
The final piece in my message is one of reassurance. In our times in the police service we have faced many challenges and come through. With that spirit and allied to the aims of NARPO let us endeavour to continue in that way.
Please make use of the website if you have relevant information or views to impart, especially if these will be of help to your colleagues.
1. ALL BRANCH SECRETARIES – PLEASE ENCOURAGE MEMBERS TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY BELOW.
Later Life Ambitions members survey – the Budget
What would you do you like to see in the Chancellor’s forthcoming Budget on March 11th?
NARPO is a Member of Later Life Ambitions and we are asking our members to fill out this short survey to tell us what issues older people would like the Government to prioritise.
CHAIRMAN AND NATIONAL PRESIDENT BRIAN BURDUS CHRISTMAS MESSAGE
I hope that all members had a very Merry Christmas and wishing you a Happy New Year.
2019 has been an eventful year for our Branch, 2 members reached 100 years of age, and with NARPO as an organisation also being 100 years old it was a special year for all concerned
I have attended many meetings and Centenary Celebrations around the country the most outstanding was at the Tower of London where in the presence of HRH the Princess Royal, Princess Anne and enjoyable evening was had by all and I know representatives from Notts NARPO attended.
We tried to arrange events within the county and apart from the River Cruise on the Trent others were not so well supported and had to be cancelled.
Nottinghamshire stood out well this year having a number of items published in the NARPO News Magazine, and one that stands out is that Roger Barker and his ‘Stepping Stones’ initiative in Newark. Full details have been published in the Magazine and the last Newsletter and I would like to thank Roger for his sterling work.
I will take this opportunity of personally thanking Brian Marshall, Brian has been the Assistant Secretary with responsibility for organising Trips, Ladies Day and Summer Socials together with being the main point of contact when a member or their spouse sadly dies.
Brian has decided that the time is right for him to stand down at the next AGM in April, although he is going to arrange Ladies Day in June.
In the New Year most of Brian’s work will in the interim pass to the Secretary John Kennedy, what we need urgently is someone to take over the role of Assistant Secretary with a view to becoming the Branch Secretary in the not too distant future, none of the committee are getting any younger and as age catches up on us it is time to hand the reins to a younger person.
EMAIL ADDRESSES AND UPDATES OF ADDRESSES
The system of sending out emails has again changed, not of this Branches making, to comply with GDPR and Cyber Security, we now use the National Database for all our information and have a direct email address of Nottinghamshire@narpo.org, our remaining email address will remain open as will the website but this too will move to the National Website at www.narpo.org and are monitored on a daily basis. Since the new system has come into use we are now getting bounce backs from ’email no longer in use’ to ‘inbox full’ sadly this will mean that the current email address we hold for you will be deleted if it is bounced back, until such time as a new email address is received.
We need to maintain an accurate up to date address, recently XPS have contacted the Secretary with regards to Pay Advice Letters being returned as ‘Not Known at This Address’ whilst we do not share personal information with any outside agency. XPS can by law cease paying your pension until a upto date address is received and this has happened on a number of occasions.
Over the next few weeks there are to be major changes on our web pages and the way emails are sent out, we are developing a new Data Protection and Privacy Policy and until that time we will be using the Policy as found at the National Site on www.narpo.org.
This will affect how we keep personal information and to whom it is disclosed, members should rest assured that no personal information is disclosed to a third party without your express consent, this includes Nottinghamshire Police and XPS Pensions. All information sent out by Notts NARPO is for the recipient’s own information and should not be disclosed any further whether by email or other social media, if you wish to disclose the information further, even by Social Media, you will need your own Data Protection and Privacy Policy to ensure Notts NARPO and your site complies with GDPR to fail to does so is a breach, further information on this subject can be obtained from the Secretary.
NARPO AGM
The next AGM is due to take place at Ramsdale Park Golf Club on Friday 17th April 2020 starting at 7pm, if you are intending attending please complete the tear off slip at the end of this newsletter and return to the Secretary for catering arrangements, If you would like to join the Committee please contact the Secretary for a Nomination Form.
LADIES DAY
Ladies Day will take place on Saturday 6th June 2020 starting at 1pm, at the Stadium Club on Nottingham Road, Basford. This is a special event solely for the Widows/ers of the Branch, if you wish to attend please complete the tear off slip at the end of this newsletter and return to Brian Marshall for catering and travel arrangements,
POLICE PADRE RETIRING
The Reverent David Henson is retiring from the Ministry from the 29th December 2019. David is a retired Police Officer and on retiring from the Police became the vicar at Misterton and neighbouring Parish’s. He was also the lead Police Padre for Nottinghamshire Police which includes NARPO.
On your behalf I would like to thank David for all the assistance he has given to NARPO and wish him a long and happy retirement.
David also volunteered to hold a NARPO Coffin Drape which he took to the undertakers in the North of the County on the death of a Member.
100 YEARS YOUNG
Nottinghamshire Branch Member and Police Widow Mrs Noreen McCullough celebrated her 100th Birthday in the week after the 2019 NARPO National Conference. As she now lives near York, Nottinghamshire Branch Vice Chair Bruce Cameron and Committee Member Marion Alflatt took the opportunity to divert across country on their way back to Nottingham.
Noreen is the Widow of Tom McCullough QPM (known universally as ‘Mac’), Mac Joined Nottingham City Police after National Service in Rhodesia and retired in the Mid 70’s as Head of CID with the Rank of Detective Chief Superintendent, he was awarded the Queens Police Medal for outstanding service.
Noreen is remarkably fit and active and still lives independently in sheltered accommodation, she was presented with various gifts from the Nottinghamshire Branch including a NARPO Centenary Medallion, flowers, cake and a card signed by National President and Branch Chair Brian Burdus. A few days later, on Noreen’s actual Birthday, York Branch kindly arranged for a visit by a serving North Yorkshire Police Senior Detective and for local member Keith Meadley to present Noreen with a bouquet and card from the York Branch of NARPO.
COMMITTEEMEMBERS.President: The Chief Constable. ChairmanBrian BurdusSecretaryJohn Kennedy Tel 0115 8409277 Mobile 07851430645 Nottinghamshirenarpo@narpo.org 9 Jessop’s Lane Gedling Nottingham NG4 4BQ Vice ChairmanBruce CameronAss SecretaryBrian Marshall Tel 0115 9556563 nottinghamshirenarpo@gmail.com Committee Members: David Wheeldon Ged Clowes Marian Alflatt Brian George Heidi DuffyCarolann Henderson Anne Berrington Tony Berrington Anne EvansKeith NewmanDorothy NewmanMalcolm Holmes
MEMBERSHIP PAGE
A warm welcome is extended to the following new members:
Grace Spicer, Anne Clewer, Lesley Wing, Gwendoline Bombroffe,
Enid Burnett, Gwenda Hunt, Steve Carr, Shaun White, Gary Oscroft
Doreen Harrison, Margot Howell, Gillian Cheetham, Brenda Birtles,
Tim Murphy, David Kirk, James Greely, Diederik Coetzee, Shaun Stokes,
Peter Crawley, Doreen Musson, Marjorie Rhodes, Christine Redfern
Jan Campbell.
It is with regret that I must inform you of the death of the
following members since our last publication. Our deepest sympathies are
extended to their next of kin:
Members Retired. Date Retired. Died
Elaine Cheetham Constable 31/03/86 14/05/19
David Parker Sergeant 1994 15/08/19
Jeffrey Hunt Inspector 10/09/92 21/09/19
Richard Cheetham Constable 1993 11/09/19
Kevin Neale Constable 29/01/2000 12/09/19
Edward Birtles Inspector 21/05/77 08/09/19
Richard Taylor Constable 02/12/75 19/09/19
Dennis Harrison Constable 02/12/19 19/09/19
Geoffrey Howell Sergeant 31/03/89 30/09/19
Roy Broughton Sergeant 02/10/77 20/10/19
Peter Coles Superintendent 05/06/96 19/10/19
Bernard Morris Sergeant 1975 28/10/19
Peter Redfern Constable 13/03/82 27/10/19
David Wilkinson Inspector 06/09/81 15/10/19
Barry Whetton Constable 15/01/93 08/11/19
Michael Dobbs Inspector 14/08/85 07/11/19
Nicholas Skerritt Sergeant 10/11/92 12/11/19
James Rhodes Constable 06/01/74 21/11/19
Peter Abbey Inspector 30/09/88 21/11/19
Melvin (Mel) Musson Sergeant 1988 06/12/19
Frederick Melliott Constable 18/12/88 11/12/19
Widow Members: Died Widow of: –
Dorothy Smith 15/06/19 Leonard Smith
Janet Rattenbury 18/06/19 Peter Rattenbury
Jeanette Faulkner 07/06/19 Harold Faulkner
Betty Willmott 10/01/19 Bill Willmott
Dorothy Wyld 24/08/19 Harry Wyld
Mildred Stafford 03/09/19 James Stafford
Iris Evans 12/09/19 Unknown
Mary Laws 07/11/19 Derek Laws
Spouse of Member Died Wife of
Mary Penniston 16/10/19 Ronald Penniston
Irene Green 03/03/19 Ramon Green
Pamela Ping 11/11/19 Alan Ping
Wedding Anniversary –
Alan & Margaret Newton celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary on Thursday 24th October 2019.
John & Marilyn Kennedy celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary on Friday 20th December 2019
I wish to attend the NARPO AGM on Friday 17th April 2020
To be held at Ramsdale Park Golf Club, start time 7pm
Name__________________________________
Contact Details__________________________
Special Dietary Arrangements__________________________
I wish to attend Ladies Day on Saturday 6th June 2020 at The Stadium, Nottingham Road, Basford, Nottingham
Name__________________________________
Contact Details__________________________
Special Dietary Arrangements_______________________ I Do/Do Notrequiretransport
Please forward to Brian Marshall, 4 Hartington Avenue, Hucknall, Nottm, NG15 6TA or Email nottinghamshirenarpo@gmail.com or 0115 9556563
Editorial Apology
Regretfully in the last Newsletter due to computer problems a number of deaths were missed from the list, this has been rectified and they all appear in this edition, one that stands out for comment is that of Elaine Cheetham, who after retirement was a Pensions Officer at the County Council, Elaine provided immense help to the Secretary after he took up the role in 2004 and for many years after with pensions queries and will be sadly missed, on behalf of the Branch and Committee we would like to offer somewhat belated condolences to her husband David Cheetham.
Good morning, my name is Gary Keeling and I am a
retired Staffordshire Detective Constable having retired in November 2012.
In 2015 I gained employment with the Chaffinch Group who deal with archive
storage, confidential waste destruction and their seasonal role of Student
University Storage known as “Chaffinch Student” running from May to October.
Since 2015 I have been involved in a variety of roles within the Chaffinch
Group and more recently had the opportunity to become self employed working
alongside Chaffinch providing logistic and storage support for their student
storage business. This self employed role I have very much enjoyed.
I currently, through Chaffinch Student cover Staffordshire Universities and a
former Merseyside detective provides the same cover in Liverpool and Chester.
Due to rapid growth within other sectors of the Chaffinch Group Chaffinch are
currently able to offer franchise opportunities with Chaffinch Student.
With the nature of the business being seasonal it was decided that the most
suitable people to offer these opportunities to is former police officers
giving them the opportunity to work with ultimate flexibility and having the
right skill set for the role.
I have attached a job specification for your attention and information and
would very much appreciate if you could circulate this to your NARPO members.
Although NARPO members are the preferred people of choice who we would like to
pass on the opportunity to work alongside Chaffinch we would welcome other
individuals who may be suitable.
The role is a very customer facing role requiring great organisation skills and
flexibility with working hours so would certainly suit persons within the
police family or retired support staff.
It would be great if you could give me a call to discuss further on the number
detailed below.
NottsNarpo 