Why Devon's police are retiring

While London's Metropolitan Police receive criticism for their handling of yesterday’s student demonstration and questions are asked about the attack on Charles' and Camilla’s Roller, a Devon and Cornwall Police Authority meeting in Exeter today agreed to force police officers to retire after 30-years service to save money.

All police forces in the country are in the same position but it seems contradictory that just as students, unions and interest groups, from mums worried about the future of Surestart to local authority workers contemplating an uncertain and perhaps jobless future, are demonstrating in numbers and with a ferocity unseen since the Poll Tax protests of 1990 which contributed to the fall of Margaret Thatcher, that this government is engaged in a reduction in the capability of the police.

Never mind the rhetoric about maintaining front line services.  Just wait until the first fatal mugging that can be directly attributed to insufficient policing.

Perhaps the Tories covertly accept statistics showing a fall in crime under Labour, and these are part of a hidden rationale for Justice Minister Kenneth “softie’ (according to Sun newspaper) Clarke’s, sentencing proposals.

Did you know that Police officers as crown servants cannot ordinarily be made redundant. But Police Pension Regulations allow for compulsory retirement of officers with 30 years pensionable service. The regulation states that compulsory retirement can be made "on grounds of efficiency of the force". It would be the first time Devon & Cornwall Police have used the regulation on mass.

This decision could affect about 500 officers in Devon and Cornwall. In total about 700 officers are due to be cut to help the force to make savings of £47m over four years

Devon and Cornwall Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, says it is "totally opposed" to the proposals and claims the force would be stripped of "experienced" police officers.

Whether they are experienced or just effective officers, it seems perverse that the party of law and order is tempting fate in this way.  Perhaps it would be cheaper to make officers buy their own uniforms, customise their family vehicles as squad cars and  share accommodation with Post Offices, after all there are more of them than Police Stations, just!