West Midlands Police Chief’s ‘Retire and Re-join’ Strategy Defended

The decision by the West Midlands’ most senior police officer to utilize a “retire and re-join” option has been supported by the region’s police and crime commissioner (PCC). According to PCC Simon Foster, Craig Guildford concluded his service as West Midlands Police’s chief constable on November 15 but has applied to resume the position on December 16, a measure intended to safeguard his pension. Mr. Guildford has participated in this nationwide initiative, which aims to assist long-serving officers in preventing a decrease in their pension’s value after accumulating 30 years of service. Mr. Foster stated that he would prefer police pensions not to function in this manner, but he acknowledged it was “a national problem and not of anyone’s making in the West Midlands”. The “Retire and Re-join” scheme permits any officer to resign and take a break of at least one month before being reappointed to the same rank. This scheme has also been adopted by PCCs in other force areas, including Bedfordshire, Derbyshire, and Sussex. Mr. Foster indicated that the scheme helps police forces “to retain capable, committed, experienced and knowledgeable officers like Mr Guildford”. He further added that employing this scheme to retain Mr. Guildford was in the West Midlands’ best interest. While Mr. Foster has expressed his support for Mr. Guildford’s proposed re-appointment, the process must be finalized at a hearing of the West Midlands Police and Crime Panel. Deputy Chief Constable Scott Green is currently serving as the acting chief constable. West Midlands Police, which is the second largest force in the country, was placed under enhanced monitoring last year, but these measures were lifted in September after the force was determined to have made improvements.