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Who can join the PSA?

Serving police officers who are superintendents or chief superintendents in one of the 43 Home Office England and Wales forces, the British Transport Police, the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, Isle of Man Police, Bermuda Police, Royal Gibraltar Police and Gibraltar Defence Police can join the association.

Should acting superintendents join the PSA?

A chief inspector who undertakes duties as an ‘acting’ superintendent remains a chief inspector and a member of the Police Federation. PNB Circular 08/4 sets out when an acting superintendent should be temporarily promoted to the higher rank.

A superintendent or chief superintendent who undertakes duties as an ‘Acting’ assistant chief constable remains a member of the association and they continue to enjoy all the benefits and protections of being an association member.

Should temporary superintendents join the PSA?

A chief inspector who is promoted to the rank of superintendent, whether substantively or temporarily, should join the PSA as they can no longer be a member of the Police Federation.

A superintendent or chief superintendent who is promoted to the rank of assistant chief constable, whether substantively or temporarily, can no longer be a member of the association and should join the Chief Police Officer’s Staff Association (CPOSA).

What changes to my role should I expect when becoming a superintendent?

You can access a blog on 'Becoming a Superintendent' written by previous PSA President Paul Griffiths here.

What is the subscription rate?

The current membership subscription rate is £465.00 a year (which is £38.75 a month). The annual subscription rate is set either by a vote at the association’s conference or by a postal ballot of the membership. In most branches the subscription is paid by Direct Debit.

The subscription is eligible for tax relief as professional fees.  Details of the annual subscription rates for the last twelve years are shown below.

April 2017 to March 2018  £416

April 2018 to March 2019 £436.80

April 2019 to March 2020 £444

April 2020 to March 2021 £451.20          

April 2021 to March 2022 £451.20

April 2022 to March 2023 £465.00         

How can I join the PSA?

Temporary or substantive superintendents are eligible to join the PSA.  For an application form and new member briefing pack, contact [email protected]

What are the pay scales for superintendents and chief superintendents?

Current pay scales can be viewed here.

Please note:  The PRRB this year (2022) recommended that police pay should be uplifted by £1900 to each pay point throughout the ranks in the service.  This has been accepted by the Home Secretary.  The PSA are now awaiting the regulations.  Once published the pay tables will be updated here accordingly.

How many rest days am I entitled to?

Police Regulations 2003, Regulation 22, Annex E, paragraph 4 (c) (i) state Superintendents and Chief Superintendent are permitted 8 monthly leave days. Subsequent Regulations state that a ‘month’ is defined as a period of 28 days.

How much annual leave am I entitled to?

Police Regulations 2003, Regulation 33, Annex O, paragraph 1, (a) ( i) state the annual leave entitlement for Superintendents and Chief Superintendents is 31 days. This is a fixed amount and does not increase with service in the rank.

Am I entitled to on-call allowance?

In April 2020, after years of negotiations, the PSA successfully secured agreement from the Home Secretary that superintending ranks would be eligible for on-call allowance, in line with the federated ranks.

The amended section of the regulation is copied below:

On-Call
Substitution of Part 13, On Call Allowance 
For Part 13 of Annex U, “ON CALL ALLOWANCE”, substitute: 

“13) ON CALL ALLOWANCE 

a) A member of the rank of constable, sergeant, inspector, chief inspector, superintendent or chief superintendent shall receive an allowance of £20 in respect of each day on which they spend any time on-call. 
b) In sub-paragraph (a) “day” means a period of 24 hours commencing at such time or times as the chief officer shall fix after consultation with the branch board and the elected officials of the local Police Superintendents’ Association Branch, and the chief officer may fix different times in relation to different groups of members.”. 

Can I get advice about my police pension from the PSA?

There is a responsibility on forces to provide information about the Police Pension Scheme to contributing members. Many forces produce a booklet about the schemes. Likewise force Finance/Pension Departments should be able to answer specific queries. However, if association members have either general or specific pension queries then National Office is available as a source of information.  (The PSA cannot provide you with personal finance, pension or tax advice.) 
Contact national secretary Dan Murphy with any issues relating to the Group Action Claim: [email protected]

Does the PSA offer pre-retirement advice?

A number of third party providers offer pre-retirement seminars for members.  Details can be found on our events page.

Can the PSA provide legal advice for non-work related issues?

Membership of the PSA also includes access to a 24-hour general legal helpline, operated by JMW solicitors. The solicitors will provide initial advice on all issues, including ‘off duty’ matters, other than those covered by the LPI or those that relate to employment issues. Officers should be aware that after the initial advice any on-going costs will be the responsibility of the member. If you require the number please speak to your branch chair or secretary or contact national office.

Does the PSA provide services such as travel insurance or will writing?


The association does not offer these services but there are a number of companies providing exclusive offers to members which can be found on the 'membership services' page here. Your local Police Federation branch may be able to help with travel insurance offers. 

How can I get my opinions or a question to the PSA?

The purpose of the branch and district structure of the association is that there is a way to get issues put on the table. If you believe there is something happening or about to happen that the association should be aware of or to take a view on then you should raise it with your branch officers initially who in turn can raise it at district or NEC level. However, if you have a question or issue on which you would like to consult with colleagues across England and Wales then a better option may be to make contact with the relevant lead officer in the appropriate association business area. 

How do I get involved in the business of the PSA?

There are a number of levels and roles that are open to association members who wish to get involved in association business. Being active at a branch level is a common starting point, but you don’t have to be a member of your branch executive to become an active member of a business area.  

The association runs briefing days during the year – details are available on this website. Attending a briefing day is a good way of finding out more about the association and meeting the national officers and members of staff who work on your behalf.

Can you provide advice if I am called to a panel on a hearing?

Chief superintendents and superintendents are regularly called upon to sit on gross misconduct panel hearings, led by legally qualified chairs.
 
National office has been made aware of examples where members who performed this duty had been asked to provide evidence in an employment tribunal on their decision making.
 
Anyone finding themselves in this situation should contact national office for the appropriate advice