making progress

WITH reference to the letter concerning police pensions, police officers pay 11.5 per cent of their salary towards their pension but successive governments, over very many years, have not created a pension fund from which to pay future liabilities but have used the money to pay for day-to-day policing costs.

All the main police organisations have been calling for reform of the scheme so that pension costs do not fall on Council Tax payers and the police officers get back what they have paid in.

A new system will be implemented over the next three years.

I don't know anybody who is in policing for the money; it is not that sort of job.

Council Tax payers in Cheshire pay the third lowest police precept in the country and we will continue to strive to ensure they get value for money.

Stories in your paper of a 1,000 fewer house burglaries in the first six months of this year in the force area and some of the good work being done by our increasing number of local beat officers demonstrates we are making progress.

PETER FAHY

Chief Constable