Police Pensions and War Injuries
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X4001300405 |
| Published date | 01 October 1940 |
| Date | 01 October 1940 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
Police Pensions and
War
Injuries
By R. GRAHAM PAGE, LL.B.
"TAKE
one consideration with
another-with
another,"
wrote Gilbert, " a policeman's lot is not ahappy
one-
happy one."
Nor
has it been made any happier by the doubtful
position, as regards pension, of the " war
injured"
constable.
The
legislature in 1921 endeavoured to compensate the
policeman for his unhappy lot by providing (with the utmost
care and complication) that when he has trodden his last beat
he may have the necessary financial support to enable him to
" lie a-basking in the
sun-in
the
sun."
The
Police Pensions
Act.,192
I,
contains a codification of the law relating to pensions
for policemen.
The
Act embodied an admirable scheme of
pensions upon scales varying with the length of service and
the cause of retirement. With careful study it was possible to
obtain from the Act the definite figure for pension in any given
set of circumstances. With a peaceful mind the policeman
could listen to " the little brook a-gurgling" and " the merry
village chime," knowing that in due course such and such a
pension would be payable to him or to his widow.
But now, the emergency legislation of the past twelve
months has spoilt the completeness of the 1921 code.
The
Police and Firemen (War Service) Act, 1939, has made certain
amendments which raise doubts and queries. One such doubt
and query arises in deciding what pension should be granted
to constables (or their widows) injured (or killed) during an
air raid.
If
the injury or death is caused by an enemy bomb
the position is clear.
The
result is a special pension. But when
the injury is the result of some less direct war action, the
position is obscure.
Here are two sets of facts with which the writer has
recently had to deal in practice, both relating to reserve
constables recalled to service as a result of the war.
399
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