Firstly may I say what a fantastic job you all do on our behalf, having been on the wrong side of discipline matters before I know how invaluable you all are. I have said that because I dont wish to come across as a whinger............!
I am seeking clarification of the ridiculous and wholly unfair smoking policy which is currently in force with us, I am seeking clarity with regards to fairness at work and it has to be said, the human rights act where it discusses the act of torture, i.e the with holding of a persons drugs, it has been proven scientifically that nicotine is as powerful a drug as both cocaine and heroin,and equally difficult to quit from, yet our force has in place a policy which is attempting to do exactly that, with hold a persons drugs,which helps them function normally, which by definition is a form of torture. It would not be so bad if this policy was policable / enforcable across the force but it is'nt and can't be. If it is a force policy then every single soul who works for this force should be prevented from smoking except when they are on their official meal break, well, when is that, certainly in the comms environment, you could go from 0630hrs until maybe 1300hrs or 1400hrs or sometimes later if staffing levels are low, before you get a meal break. The police officers who work out on the street have ample opportunity and no such restrictions, to find a tea stop, a quiet area out of the public eye etc, to have a smoke if they so desire,that is undeniable, this is fact, the unfortunate ones to whom this unfair and draconian policy applies are to the personnel who smoke within this force who are within an office environment, open to scrutiny by those who wish to enforce this policy and making those people fear repercussions from management, which again, is against the human rights act.
There are plenty of areas within HQ where a smoking area could be allowed, out of the way of public view and well away from others, the current ridiculous situation where the dreaded smokers have at least a 5 minute walk to get the the west gate or whatever it is and leave the site and cross the main road and smoke in full view of the passing public,shivering in the wet and cold at all times of the year and day and night, again, making those persons feel alienated and different because they have a habit, which, with the best will in the world, is not easy to stop, even if that person wished to do so which some people have no intention of doing. It is not illegal (yet) to smoke in this country and the force seem intent on alienating those personnel who wish to smoke to the point where they are either forced to quit,against their will and personal choice and against ones human rights one suggests or they make themselves ill with stress because of the policy , it seems that the attitude of some is, well if you dont like it, seek employment elsewhere which is not the first time I have heard that from this force.
Isn't it about time someone from the federation took this in hand, PLEASE, and try to get some semblance of proportion to this policy. It is only some people who are feeling the blunt end of this policy whilst others are not affected by it at all, solely down to geographics, this is not fair and is a positive discrimination against people who smoke, surely only a matter of time before this is challenged in work place industrial action, as it obviously only applies to those who smoke, who work within the confines of an office environment,who can be seen and policed by management, there are some who are already beginning to feel ill because of this policy, for goodness sake, there should be room for manouvre on the staff side, we have enough problems making everything work without exacerbating problems with staffing issues by provoking problems.
Best regards
Steve
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This is an emotive subject and I have received correspondence from both
sides of the argument. If I can deal with it from your perspective
however and not get drawn into the wider arguments around smoking; The
Federation has taken the view that it is unfair to make staff leave the
site completely at HQ in order to smoke. This is true for all our
operating sites but particularly at HQ where there is ample space to
establish a shelter away from the public gaze. WE have made this point
at any and every opportunity where we negotiate with The Organisation.
The response has always been that they have a legal right to impose this
ban and a moral obligation to protect the health of their staff.
We will continue to press for a relaxation of this total ban but if
there is no change then our options are limited. It is a well
established principle in law that they have the right to decide how
their premises are used. The actual smoking ban has been challenged in
other areas without success. If there is a legal ruling elsewhere
particularly on Human Rights then this would obviously change the
position.
The difficulty, as I understand it, in the argument that you put forward
is that there are other ways to mitigate the effects of Nicotine
dependency other than smoking. There is nothing to stop you using
patches or gum (if not dealing directly with the public) and I have seen
'false' cigarettes that also deliver a dose of Nicotine. I am not
seeking to argue how you should obtain your drug but a successful legal
argument of 'torture' would have to show that there was no other way to
get your necessary amount of Nicotine.
Until there is a stated case or change of heart by The Force then there
is unlikely to be any movement on this issue.
Paul Green
Chairman
Avon and Somerset Police Federation
Thursday, 08.7.08 @ 02:31am
i have to supply travel insurance details to book a holiday next year. i see the current certificate runs out at the end of August 2008.
will we be using the same insurance details for next year.
many thanks
------------- reply ------------
As soon as the new certificate is available it will be put on the website, the policy details remain the same each year, although cover sometimes changes slightly, it improved last December.
Saturday, 08.2.08 @ 09:56am
I see from the last uniform meeting that PCSO's are being issued with wick shirts.
I find it hard to believe that Police Officers are not being issued with them.
Having been in a previous police service that had them I can tell you how much more practical they were.
Do we do a less physical job then?
Tuesday, 06.17.08 @ 05:55am
I currently have travel insurance (AGSIS) with Stuary Harvey which is paid directly from my salary each month, I now wish to cancel this and am unsure how?
Please help
Thank you
Saturday, 04.12.08 @ 10:40am
I dont expect anything can be done about this but i have not had my overtime paid for the third mouth running. I have been told this is due to the South West One now operating our pay. This is progress??? I have earnt my money. I have done long hours often into the very early hours. Why do i have to put up with this? I feel along with a lot of my colleges now that we are suppressed and should stop moaning. I can qoute a senior officer who told someone that. Cant wait to retire. Roll on 10 years.
Friday, 04.11.08 @ 12:31pm
Paul
Please can you change the link for A & S Narpo to:
http://www.asnarpo.org/
Not complete yet but up and running.
I will put you on our links page.
Hope everyone is ok.
Keith
Saturday, 03.22.08 @ 18:57pm
Not happy.
Just seen the Email ref SPP and thought you should know that frontline 24 hour officers are not impressed.Moral is low enough without having given another kick in the bits.
District officers work just as hard as the city and we do not get the luxury of speedy back up.We tend to deal with a wider range of problems and see them through to the end.
I know you are aware of the cover we provide and it is across the board 24 hour 7 days a week dealing with all the crap.
Core teams feel let down and at the bottom of the ladder.
I see that officers in the City will recieve the SPP after one year in the job . How can they be fully competent if thet are still in training?
I work in Minehead which is the biggest area in the force and at times it does have its moments.I agree that Bristol is very busy and there are significatly more crimes and public order etc but that does not mean that our job is less dangerous in fact it is More so due to back up times.
We are not impressed as the divide between core and beat teams seems to be getting bigger through no fault of the individuals.
