Firstly, thank you to everyone who serves the public good. It is getting to be an increasingly difficult job in England and you are to be applauded.
Secondly, I’m not sure how your pension changed, or why, but as a private sector worker, my company simply went into reorganization, dropped off the pensions with a quasi-govt organization and washed their hands of a $7.1 BILLION pension program. After 9 years, I had $2,000 of cash and $170,000 of company stock (from an Employee Stock Ownership Plan that started before I got hired). When the company declared bankruptcy, the $170,000 turned into $2,000, for a grand total of $4,000 (£3,000) after 9 yrs and no company pension! Do began the long slow climb to rebuild a career and retirement, which continues to this day, of course.
After 23.5 yrs, I have enough saved to be at about 1/4 of what I would have had, with 10 yrs to my mandatory retirement date.
The pension system in the private sector has broken down completely in the US, while the public sector pension system has “flourished” for the workers ON PAPER, but is crippling state pension funds. I live in Illinois, which, if it were a company, would have declared bankruptcy and folded years ago! So, my taxes continue to go up to cover public pension shortfalls, while I’m also expected to save a large chunk of my paycheck to try to get back what was taken from me.
Maybe I should have been a teacher, or a copper, because taxes will always apparently be around to pay out, even if it is a virtual Ponzi scheme!
And, to get back to the OP, YES, police officers should be required to maintain a certain level of fitness for duty. I have to have a medical every 6 mos to fly, because of public safety, even though there is always another fully qualified pilot sitting to my right. Why should it be different for public safety officers who are supposed to serve and protect the public from all and sundry at a moments notice?
FWIW, in the States, soldiers, policemen and firefighters get a FULL pension after 20 years, so many of them “retire” in their early 40s, only to then double dip (pension & paycheck) by starting another government job to get ANOTHER 20 years in before they get to normal retirement age and retire on two pensions. Very common for people in the services to get a teaching certificate, get Christmas and Summers off, while getting paid $100,000 pension AND $100,000 teacher pay, which they basically keep ($200,000) throughout their entire retirement.
As an aside, at 4% ROI, you would need to amass $5,000,000 in retirement funds to spin off $200,000 per year...yet it is all backed by the full faith and credit of the Government, not the whims of the stock market, like everyone else!
