The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, David Jamieson, has taken the decision to withhold pension contributions made to the disgraced former police officer Allan Richards.
Richards was convicted of a number of offences against children, including one count of rape, one count of indecent assault on a male and five counts of misconduct in a public office. He is currently serving a 22 year prison sentence, with an additional five years on licence when he is released.
The PCC can only withhold the pension contributions made by the force, not by Richards himself.
After applying to the Policing Minister for a certificate to hold a pension forfeiture meeting, a hearing was presided over by the PCC on July 24th and a formal decision was taken on August 7th.
The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, David Jamieson, said:
“Richards committed a series of crimes that brought shame on the force and misery to his victims.
“His crimes are the ultimate breach of trust. He exploited his position and the victims he was meant to be protecting at the lowest point in their lives.
“I have ensured West Midlands Police put in place measures to stop something like this ever happening again.
“I have decided to withhold as much of Richards’ pension as legal advice allows.”
In the case of Richards, legal advice allowed for 50% of his total pension to be withheld.
Only force contributions to the pension are liable for forfeiture. Officer’s own contributions are not liable for forfeiture.
Case law allows for 65% of the force’s contributions to be forfeited, after a deduction has been made for the minimum pension requirement.
