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Annual Leave

Entitlements

Length Of Service Annual Leave
Less than 2 years' relevant service 22
2 or more years' relevant service 25
5 or more years' relevant service 25
10 or more years' relevant service 27
15 or more years relevant service 28
20 or more years relevant service 30

 

The provisions fully explaining annual leave can be found at Regulation 33 Annex O.

Every member of a police force shall, so far as the exigencies of duty permit, be granted in each leave year such annual leave as may be determined by the Secretary of State; and in this regulation "leave year" means that period of 12 months beginning on such date as may from time to time be determined by the police authority. (In Thames Valley Police, this is the year starting on 1st January).

 

 

RIGHT TO CARRY FORWARD LEAVE TO THE NEXT YEAR AND TO BRING FORWARD LEAVE

In the case of a member of a police force of a rank not higher than that of chief superintendent, the chief officer of police may, in his discretion and subject to the exigencies of duty -

a) notwithstanding anything in paragraphs (1) and (2),where he is satisfied that, in any leave year, the member has not taken the full period of annual leave specified in those paragraphs, grant the member, during the following leave year, additional days of annual leave not exceeding the number of days not taken, so however that he shall not exercise his discretion so as to grant more than 5 additional days of annual leave to a member unless he is satisfied that there are exceptional circumstances and that it is in the interests of efficiency to do so;

b) grant the member not more than 5 additional days of annual leave, to be taken in the last month of the leave year, subject to a corresponding reduction being effected in the member’s period of annual leave under paragraph (1) for the following year.

If an officer has been unable to take all of his/her leave allocation in the year to end 31st December, s/he may apply to carry forward up to five days. In practice, this is automatic. However, should the number of unused days be more than five the officer will need to account for why they have not been taken and, probably, specify when s/he wants to take them within the first few months of the next year.

If you find yourself short of leave, you can apply to bring forward up to five days from the next annual leave year. However, you can only bring them forward into January. There will have to be good reasons.

 

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WORKING ON ANNUAL LEAVE

To understand the compensation arrangements for being required to work on an annual leave day, it is important to understand that annual leave is a precious thing in the context of policing.  Recalling an officer to duty from a period of annual leave is a serious thing and it should never be done lightly.

However, “leave” is a day upon which an officer is paid, but given ‘leave’ not to come to work.

The following scale of compensation applies where an officer is recalled to duty from a period of absence from duty of three or more days (of which at least one day is annual leave):

Annual Leave Days Worked Compensation In Additional Days (Or Annual Leave Plus Pay)
1 2 days (or 1 days annual leave plus 1 days pay at double time).
2 4 days (or 2 days annual leave plus 2 days pay at double time).
Thereafter 1.5 days (or 1 days annual leave plus 0.5 days pay at double time) for each further annual leave day worked.

If the period of absence includes rostered rest days, days in lieu of overtime, or public holidays, compensation for working on those days (or time off in lieu) would be according to the relevant regulation.

This means that you have to be away for at least three days, but only one of those days has to be annual leave. As an example, if you book one or two annual leave days as an ‘island’ within a period of working days, and you are required to work on one of them, the only compensation you receive is a plain day of annual leave back. If you have a weekend of two rest days, and you tack an annual leave day on, you now have the minimum of three days. If you are recalled for the annual leave day, you are compensated as in the table. If you have to work on the rest days, you are compensated at the appropriate rate for a cancelled rest day.

This also applies if you book annual leave for dates in the future, and then something occurs that requires you to work, you are compensated at the rates in the table.

 

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I WORKED INTO AN ANNUAL LEAVE DAY FROM THE NIGHT BEFORE?

In an ideal world, if an officer books leave immediately following a rostered night shift, the Resource Department will adjust the duties so that it becomes a Late Turn or duty finishing at 2200 hours. However, if you find yourself working past 07.00hrs. into a booked annual leave day, the section on Working on Annual Leave should be followed.

There is no first hour rule as there is with working into a rest day. The moment you pass 07.00hrs, the appropriate compensation applies.

Where there is uncertainty, and no clear answer, is what happens if the annual leave day is not part of a run of three days off? If you have booked a single day, the compensation described above does not apply. It is not a rest day, so that compensation does not apply either. There is no minimum four hours. We believe that you book overtime at time and one third, with no disregard of the first half hour, for only as long as you are on duty.

 

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SICKNESS WHILST ON LEAVE

An officer who is unfit for duty through sickness whilst on a period of annual leave must obtain a medical certificate. The remainder of that period of annual leave will be cancelled from the first day of such certificated sickness.

 

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SICKNESS WHILST ON LEAVE ABROAD

Should an officer become sick or be injured whilst on leave outside the UK to the extent that s/he would not be fit for duty, the officer should contact the Force immediately. The untaken leave can only be cancelled from the day of reporting and cannot be claimed retrospectively, except in special circumstances.

NHS certification does not operate outside the United Kingdom. Certification for sick pay purposes should be sought immediately on return to the UK.

Annual leave can be re-rostered. Rostered rest days lost through sickness cannot be reclaimed.

 

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HOW EARLY CAN I BOOK MY LEAVE?

The current Thames Valley Police  Annual Leave policy permits officers to book their leave up to 15 months prior to the last day of the desired leave period. We would encourage officers to book their leave as early as possible.

 

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WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LONG NOTICE AND SHORT NOTICE LEAVE?

The current Thames Valley Police Annual Leave Policy has two very different periods for booking leave. Long notice leave is defined as a period between 3 months and 15  months prior the desired leave period. Short notice leave is defined as leave booked with less than 3 months notice.

Long Notice - allows for abstraction rate of 25% of establishment not taking cognisance of any other abstraction

Short Notice - allows for abstraction rate of 35% of actual resources taking into account all abstractions

 

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