Report Summary
This report provides members of the People Committee with an Assurance paper on the process for selection for acting/temp ranks.
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Meeting
The publication discussed was referenced in the meeting below
People Committee - 31 May 2023
Date : 31 May 2023
Location : online
Current Position
Every year Police Scotland requires to substantively promote approximately 300-400 qualified substantive Sergeants. During the same time period there is a requirement to temporarily promote 300-400 ‘Temporary’ Sergeants.
Police Scotland no longer has sufficient numbers of officers who are qualified by Police Exams or by Diploma to fill the temporary vacancies at the rank of Sergeant. While there are still approximately 500+ qualified officers, they are not seeking temporary or substantive leadership roles.
Historically, the use of ‘Acting Sergeants’ was predominantly limited to a small number of areas in the East and North of Scotland to provide short term supervisory cover. This position has changed and all Local Policing Commands and National Divisions now have no option other than to rely on the use of Acting Ranks in order to ensure operational and supervisory resilience across Police Scotland.
Acting Ranks do not require the officer to be qualified for promotion and therefore unqualified officers can temporarily be moved to the rank of Acting Sergeant to fill short term vacancies. All movement is deemed as personal development to support a future substantive promotion attempt.
The 2022 Pay Award supports Police Scotland’s requirement to change its’ use of Acting Ranks whereby the Police Negotiating Board agreed that from 01 January 2023 all periods of temporary duty performed at a higher rank will be reckonable for the purpose of pay and pension. This means for the purpose of pay and pension only Acting Ranks can be used without detriment to the candidate for both qualified and unqualified officers.
It is recognised that an acting sergeant is not, in law, the same as a temporary sergeant. The latter has all the powers and privileges of a ‘substantive’ sergeant whereas the former does not. This is critical in a small number of police roles, where the role is rank specific. One such role is a custody sergeant and this identified role and any others, will continue to be filled by qualified officers, in a temporary promotion.
The changes proposed will manage the immediate identified work force concern, until a longer term solution can be developed and implemented.
