Police officers forced to retire after 30 years

Police officers in Devon and Cornwall will be forced to retire after 30 years of service to save money, the force has confirmed.

The police authority has agreed to use police regulation A19.

The regulation states that compulsory retirement can be made "on grounds of efficiency of the force".

It is thought the regulation could affect about 500 officers in Devon and Cornwall, helping the force to make savings of £47m over four years.

Devon and Cornwall's Chief Constable Stephen Otter said: "The decision made around A19 needs to be seen against unprecedented cuts in policing of £47m over four years.

"The decision we made is just about the people retiring after 30 years service, making sure that we can actually control the number of retiring people so we can manage the budget.

"The actual savings come from the freeze on recruitment."

'Particular skill'

Mr Otter said that on average police officers retired within a year of completing their 30 years service.

He also said that it would be possible to defer retirement if the officer in question had a particular skill which could not be replaced quickly.

Nigel Rabbits from the Devon & Cornwall Police Federation said: "We're disappointed, we have some legal arguments we need to take up with the force and that will be done in a professional way."

He also said that a consultation would take place to discuss "some degree of flexibility for the officers to leave the force with dignity".

In total about 700 officers from the police force are due to be cut to make financial savings.