Newsletter – April 2019

CHAIRMANS NOTES Since our last newsletter we have been kept busy. The amalgamation is almost 1 year old we have changed the way we collect subscriptions, organising our Centenary lunches for Cumbria members and their guests and registering several new members. It’s all good news. Our committee has grown in numbers and we now have representation throughout the force area although we would love to have a member from Barrow to make the representation complete. To repeat what I said at the AGM I, on behalf of the members, am very grateful to Kate for the hard work she has put in over the past year proving herself to be an excellent Secretary.

CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS As you will be aware Cumbria Narpo is holding three Sunday Lunches to celebrate 100 years of Narpo nationally. The lunches will be at the following Venues and on the dates as stated. 9th June 2019 – The Old Mill, Bardsea 30th June 2019 – Greenhills, Wigton 14th July – Carus Green Golf Club, The menu for each venue is at bottom of this newsletter together with a menu request booking form. Payment for each of the meals is £10 the meal being subsidised by Cumbria Narpo, that’s our thank you for supporting your local Narpo. If you wish to sit with friends, there is a section that you can mention your friends and we will do our best to accommodate your request. Tables will be for a maximum of 10 persons.

Invitations have been sent to the Chief Constable, the Police and Crime Commissioner and the senior executive of the National committee of Narpo and I have to say that as a small branch we have done extremely well by securing the attendance of the President at Bardsea, the Vice President will attend Greenhills and the CEO will attend Kendal. If anyone wishes to ask any questions of our guests, they have agreed to circulate after the meal and speak to anyone who wishes to ask questions. There will be no speeches as such apart from our Chair who will merely introduce the guests and welcome all to the meals. Please try and attend one of the meals even if you have never been to one before this is a start and who knows you may meet many faces you haven’t seen for many years.

MEETINGS OF THE BRANCH

AGM and notes of the 1st meeting of the Cumbria Branch for 2019 are now available on the national Narpo website. If you log into www.narpo.org it will take you to the Cumbria site and the notes of the meeting will be located there for all the membership to see. With nothing to hide we have included the accounts and the report from the Secretary. We welcomed 5 new members to the committee – Kate Sutton from Kendal, Dave Shirley from , Paul Cox from , Raymond Gregory from and Lance Hindle from . We now have an excellent representation from throughout the county although a member from the Barrow area would be most welcome. Our next branch meeting will be held in the offices of the Police Federation on Wednesday 9th October 2019. The AGM will be held in the same offices on Wednesday 11th March 2020 when all members will be welcome to attend. NARPO CONFERENCE IN SOUTHPORT

1

Cumbria Narpo are allowed 8 delegates to attend the conference and we are delighted to say that we will be sending our full allocation to the conference in Southport. This is the first time for some years we have been able to send the full allocation and the delegates are from the North/West and South of the County.

NATIONAL CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS As you will be aware from Narpo news the national committee are to host a Banquet in the grounds of the Tower of London on the 13th June 2019. I’m sure this will be an evening to remember for all the right reasons. We have ten members attending at their own expense and I feel sure the next newsletter will have a full report of the evening and some pictures to remember it by. Invitations have been sent to the good and great and Narpo news will be reporting on this prior to the event. It’s a Black-Tie event so a chance to get spruced up for the evening. Yeoman of the Guard and Beefeaters have been booked an official photographer will be on site and they will compile a video should anyone wish to purchase. The photographer will be the same as used for The Investitures held at Buckingham Palace.

NORTH WEST POLICE BENEVELONT FUND There has been a makeover of the NWPBF. Sadly, Narpo now have two representatives on the board of Trustees and not as previously one from each force. These representatives are from Lancashire and Cheshire and we await information as to how they will progress enquiries from Cumbria, GMP and Merseyside. Narpo has 114 members of the scheme but one of the issues that has been raised in the past and was raised again at the No 1 Region meeting by our Secretary was the criteria for membership. Simply if a member of Cumbria Narpo receives their pension from another provider other than one within the Region but may well have served for many years in Cumbria, they are not eligible to become a member. We feel this is detrimental to our membership and is being progressed through the Regional meeting. If any one wishes to access the facilities of the NWPBF (rehabilitation centre or lodges) they can either go straight to the website facility in Langho, ring them or come through the Secretary who will point them in the right direction.

NARPO NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE Kate Rowley our secretary is one of the two Regional Representatives on the NEC. Kate is part of the small group looking at our national Centenary celebrations and is also chairing the group looking at the Future of our Conferences. Some changes will take place for this year’s conference others are more long term.

POLICE PENSION SCHEMES We are only too aware that the different schemes cause confusion (1987, 2006 and 2015) included in this newsletter is a simple guide to each of the schemes. Hope this helps.

COLLECTION OF SUBSCRIPTIONS This appears to be going quite well. There was a hitch in the collection from the former Westmorland with Furness branch which resulted no collections being taken by XPS formally Kier for the first 3 months of the year. This has now been rectified and payment brought up to date. From this point on you should see a deduction of £1.76 per month.

CONDOLENCES

2

Sadly, we have lost several former colleagues since our last newsletter these are Alan Williams – well respected officer who died of Cancer and served in Barrow in Furness Raymond Garrett – an additional member of Cumbria who died in the Humberside area and served at Penrith, Alston, Egremont, Gosforth and Eric Greenslade – described by many as a true gentleman. Superintendent Professional Standard Les Thompson – much loved Superintendent and Sub Divisional Commander for Kendal Ronnie Jones – a character, served at Barrow, Penrith and with the RCS Leonard Hamilton ‘Lennie’ Howell – a well known figure in the and Windermere areas. A keen gardener and there are just too many stories to tell of Lennie James Morton ’Jim’ Aird – Ken bowler and served at Headquarters, he died in Peter O’Donnell – served in , the closing music for his committal was Rhinstone Cowboy which fitted Peter well. Ronald James Bell Emmerson ‘Ronnie or Ron’ Emmerson – Ron retired in the early 70s as a Superintendent at Kendal. He moved to Penrith and enjoyed a long and happy retirement. He was a keen supporter of NARPO social activities and during his lifetime he was an accomplished piano player. John ‘Ollie’ Oliphant - his motto was Family come first. Well known character in Carlisle especially for his work with the Royal British Legion Peter Grice – Fitting tribute by Dave Lake who knew Peter well and his children Michelle and Marc. Peter served many years in Alston Dave Brierley – Dave joined Lancashire Constabulary as a Cadet and served in the RCS before moving to Cumbria. He was a well-respected Scenes of Crime officer in Barrow before becoming one of the first officers to be trained in HOLMES. He completed his career in the control room. John Watson – John worked for many years as the caretaker at Scotby House. Upon retirement he moved to Windermere but after the death of his wife he moved to Sandhurst to be close to his children. Brian Corrie – One of the main figures within the CID at Carlisle, he later joined the Cumbria RCS George McKeown - a former member of the Cumbria Special Constabulary who was stationed at many years ago. George was in his late 70's and will be remembered, in his younger days, as a keen footballer playing for many years in the Western Division Police Team. He was also a member of, and player with, Workington Cricket Club and played regularly alongside the likes of Phil Park, Doug Mallet and Keith Phillips. George was a great character and well respected both as a Special and as an active sportsman.

CELLS, CLEAN AND CLEAR

Phil Bonney has written a book about the police station in Kendal it spans the time from 1838 to 1947. Phil has gone back to the earliest beginnings of Policing – Saxon times, and the town stocks. It also contains extracts from the Kendal Borough Police Records Book from 1868 listing everything about officers – age, height, previous occupations etc to when and why they left the Constabulary. If anyone is interested in obtaining a copy of the book, please contact Anne Bonney on [email protected]

SOLICITORS SURGERIES

3

Surgeries in the following locations: Carlisle Rugby Club – 6pm on Wednesday 8th May 2019 Workington - TBF Barrow - TBF Kendal - TBF Harvey Howell’s service to Cumbria NARPO members and their families is to provide legal advice on Wills, Powers of Attorney and such matters – with very competitive and transparent pricing for members. What if you lose capacity through accident or illness – who can take over your financial affairs and deal with your money or property – your family have no say - you need Powers of Attorney. Their advice goes far beyond simple Wills - What about family members losing their home to care home fees, probate fees, bankruptcy, children of previous relationships, looking after vulnerable children or relatives, guardianship of children and grandchildren, claims against the estate, stealth taxes through probate registration charges - there are many questions to consider!

Take advantage of this free education service – SIGN UP FOR THE FREE SEMINAR Come along hear what they have to say and ask any questions. To complete the evening a pie and pint will be provided by Harvey Howell.

BRANCH NEWSLETTERS INCLUDED WITH NARPO NEWS Consideration is being given by the NEC to including branch newsletter in with Narpo News. This will save our branch postage costs. Hopefully we will be able to have this edition in the post with the next edition of Narpo news.

HEADSTONE FOR GEORGE WILLIAM MCKINLAY RUSSELL QGM

The ravages of time have taken its toll on the headstone of George Russell who died as a result of his injuries sustained at Railway Station. With the permission of the family a new headstone has been commissioned. This will have the Carlisle City crest laser etched onto the black Granite stone. There will be a small inaugurate when the stone is placed, and we will circulate the date at a later day so that anyone who wishes to attend would be more than welcome

A CENTURY OF SERVICE The book A Century of Service will be sent to every member of the Association free of charge. The history covers the years 1919 – 2019 and the forward is by HRH Princess Ann who is the Patron of Narpo. From small beginnings on the 25th July 1919 Narpo has grown to the largest Public Sector Pensioner Organisation in the and represents almost 90,000 retired police officer and their widows/widowers. DINOSAURS/DEMENTIA BUDDIES The ‘Dementia Buddies’ project now has almost 50 members signed up to an alert system which can be activated in the event of a member of the retired police family going ‘walkabout’ as a result of suffering from dementia. All members of the NARPO committee and over 30 ‘Dinosaurs’ spread out across the force area are volunteer ‘Buddies’ who are able to use their vast knowledge of Cumbria’s police family in bringing about a reconciliation with a family when a dementia victim leaves their home and goes off on a ‘walkabout’ to who knows where. To date, the buddy system has reconciled 6 victims with their family and provided links to social welfare and health care professionals where applicable, and for the good of all concerned. A number of our ‘Buddies’ have recently undertaken dementia training, and many have written articles outlining their first hand experiences of dementia and its allied conditions in order to raise awareness. Did you know that over one third of deaths recorded in the groups ‘Roll of Honour’ are dementia related? You don’ t need to be dementia trained to be a ‘Buddy’. You do need to be able to share your knowledge of the police family with others in order to provide information that

4 leads to the identification of a family member or a close friend of a dementia victim in order to bring about ‘reconciliation’ and instigate health care. And that ‘reconciliation’ information isn’t always as easy to obtain as you might think. You don’t need a social media account to join the project. You just need an email address. Contact the administrator at [email protected] for your copy of the dementia buddy pack. It’s free, and it’s easy to get involved.

POLICE PENSION SCHEME

SCHEME 1987 2006 2015

Recruited before Recruited after Recruited after 1/4/15 + Dates 6/4/2006 6/4/2006 (a) tapered entrants Final salary / Career Final Salary Final Salary Career Average Average

Accrual 1/60 (2/60 after 20 yrs) 1 / 70 1 / 55.3

Yes - up to 30yrs Yes - up to 35yr Purchase of Pension Yes to maximum Benefit maximum Automatic 4 x Annual Lump Sum Optional Optional Pension Retirement Age 55 55 60

Min age 48.5 (after 30 yrs) 55 55

Death Benefit 2 x Pay 3 x Pay 3 x Pay

From 55yrs unless Inflation Increases Yes Yes Medical Retirement (b)

Employer Contributions 24.2% 24.2% 24.2% From 010415

Employee Contributions 11 - 15.05% 9.5 - 12.75% 12.44 - 13.78%

Widows'/CP's Pension Stops on remarriage (c) Payable for Life Payable for Life

Widows pension for Payable to partners Payable to partners Widows' Benefit & Post- service after 5/4/78 before or after before or after Retirement Marriage / CP only. Wife/Husband or retirement retirement CP only.

NB Widows' pension amount prior to recruitment 1/4/72 depends upon in-service opt in/out decision.

(a) And including those who chose to transfer into the scheme (b) Or become totally disabled from any occupation and therefore unable to earn a living (c) Unless died as a result of an injury on duty and remarried/cohabited after 1st April 2015

Narpo Centenary lunches

5

9th June 2019

The Old Mill, Bardsea

Starters

Pea and Watercress soup

Melon, Grape and Mint Cocktail

Garlic Mushrooms with smoked Bacon

Crab, lime and Avocado Salad

***

Mains

Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding

Roast Pork with crispy crackling and Apple Sauce

Chicken dreamboat (breast filled with leeks, peppers, ham, cheese and garlic yogurt

Salmon Steak with Prawns, Spring Onions and Chives

Sweet Potato Roulade with a sage and onion stuffing

All with vegetables

***

Desserts

Pear Frangipan Tart, with butterscotch sauce and Double Jersey Ice Cream

Raspberry Tiramisu

Fresh Fruit Pavlova

Chocolate Truffle Torte

Lakeland Tea and Farrers filter coffee

Glass of wine with meal

30th June 2019

Greenhills Hotel, Wigton

Starters

Homemade Leek and Potato soup with crusty bread

Chicken Liver and cognac Pate with sauce and Melba toast

Prawn, Crayfish and Avocado Salad with Marie rose dressing

Tian of Melon – honeydew, water, galia, pomegranate jelly, boozy berries

Mains

Roast Topside of Local Beef – Yorkshire pudding, horseradish sauce, rich pan gravy

Chicken Elizabethan with mushroom, bacon and chardonnay cream sauce

6

Oven Baked Scottish Salmon with wilted spinach, lemon and tarragon hollandaise

Vegetarian Risotto, roasted red pepper, Courgettes, Peas, Garlic, Fresh thyme finished with a dash of cream

All served with seasonal vegetables and potatoes

Desserts

Selection of homemade desserts

Cheese and biscuits

Tea and coffee

Glass of wine with meal

14th July 2019

Carus Green Golf Club, Kendal

Starters

Chef’s Homemade Leek and Potato Soup (v) with Herbed croutons

Seasonal Melon (v) with fruit sorbet, coulis & mint

Classic Prawn Cocktail with a Marie rose sauce

***

Mains

Daube of Beef – slow coked Cumbrian beef with a rich gravy & Yorkshire pudding

Supreme of Local Chicken Breast with peppercorn sauce

Lentil & Nut Roast with sweet pepper and roasted tomato sauce

All main courses served with roast potatoes & seasonal vegetables

***

Desserts

Sticky Toffee Pudding with a Butterscotch sauce and fresh cream

Warm Chocolate Brownie with hot chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream

Vanilla Cheesecake with raspberries & fresh cream

Tea and coffee

Glass of wine with meal

All meals £10 per head

Complete and return to the Secretary, Cumbria Narpo, 19 St Edmunds Park, Carlisle CA2 6TS

7

Narpo Centenary lunches

Booking form

Name ……………………………………………………………………………………………….

Number of persons attending ………………………………………………………….

Please indicate which lunch you will be attending

9th June YES / NO 30th June YES / NO 14th July YES / NO

Menu choices

Starter - 1st person …………………………………………………………………………………………….. Starter - 2nd person…………………………………………………………………………………………….

Main - 1st person……………………………………………………………………………………………….

Main – 2nd person ………………………………………………………………………………………………

Dessert - 1st person…………………………………………………………………………………………… Dessert - 2nd person ………………………………………………………………………………………….

If you have a preference as to those you would like to share a table with, please indicate and we will try our best to sit you with friends.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Please make cheques payable to Cumbria Narpo

Cheque enclosed for £ ………………….

Please return before 4th May 2019 with full payment

8