Metropolitan Police Careers

Pay & benefits

Pay

All Metropolitan police officers currently receive London Weighting and London Allowance on top of national police pay scales. This currently stands at £2,277 per annum pensionable London Weighting Allowance, and £1,011 per annum non-pensionable London Allowance (1).

Experienced officers transferring into the MPS may also qualify to receive a rent or housing allowance up to a maximum of £5,126.70 per annum if in receipt of housing allowance and if in receipt of transitional rent allowance £5863.65 per annum

In addition to this, officers who join the MPS who are not entitled to rent or housing allowance do however qualify for an additional (non-pensionable) London Allowance(2) of £3,327 per annum.

Enquiries about pay & allowances can be addressed to Logica CMG on 0845 850 0279.

Leave

You can expect to have 23-30 days paid annual holiday, depending on your length of service. This is on top of public holidays and an average of two rest days per week.

In addition, we also make provision for a number of other forms of leave, including:

• Maternity, paternity and adoption leave
• Special leave with pay
• Special leave without pay
• Carers Leave
• Parental leave
• Career breaks of up to five years.

Flexible working

We provide a variety of flexible working options, helping you to fit your job around your other commitments. Some roles lend themselves more easily to flexible working than others, but every case is judged on its merits and we will work with you to find an option to suit you without compromising our service delivery.

The flexible working options on offer include:

• Annualised hours - choose how to spread an agreed number of hours across a year
• Compressed hours - work slightly longer days in return for extra time off
• Flexi time - vary your start, finish and break times to suit your life needs
• Part-time working
• Term-time work - take extra unpaid time off to cover the school holidays.

Pensions

Unless you choose to make your own arrangements, as a Metropolitan police officer you will automatically join the Police Pension Scheme, a fast accrual final salary pension scheme to which you will contribute 9.5% of your pensionable pay.

General Pay & Pensions information

Enquiries about MPS police pay and pension arrangements can be addressed to Logica on 0845 850 0279.

Property Zone - Housing Options

Housing Options has reinvented itself and is now called First Steps. To obtain details of the current scheme you can apply on line at: http://www.firststepslondon.org/

First Steps does not give particular preference to Key Workers and therefore the main condition is that your income or joint income is less than £60,000 and that you don't own any other property.

The web site gives details of what is available in each Borough of London and then gives you the opportunity to register and apply to be considered for particular buildings.

Financial services

Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority, Metfriendly (Metropolitan Police Friendly Society Limited) offers our staff and volunteers a number of financial services, including:

• Savings products
• Insurance and protection products
• Investment products.

These can be accessed via their website www.mpfs.org.uk or on the MPS Intranet under 'Friendly Society'

For a nominal monthly sum, you can also choose to contribute to the Police Federation Voluntary Fund, which will provide both you and your spouse/partner with life and accident assurance cover.

Discounts & subsidies

Finally, being a Metropolitan police officer will give you access to a wide range of discounts and special deals with major High Street stores, retail outlets and other organisations nationwide.

You can save money on everything from food, clothes, furniture, electrical goods and DIY products to hotels, restaurants, cinemas, theatres, flights and holidays.

Many MPS locations also have subsidised staff restaurants, serving a good choice of two and three course meals for significantly less than you'd pay on the High Street.

Healthcare

We offer contributory private healthcare scheme to all our police officers, as well as other benefits such as free eye tests and spectacles for people who regularly use computers.

Training & development

We are committed to helping you develop your skills and career by giving you the opportunity to attend internal and external courses, occasionally providing extra time off and funding for study towards a professional qualification.

If you have what it takes to succeed in leadership roles, you may be able to join the High Potential Development Scheme (HPDS) which will provide you with additional individually tailored support and training to help you achieve your potential.

Personal support & advice

We pride ourselves on being a caring employer and provide a whole range of support initiatives to help with both you and your family's welfare. These include:

• Support for employees with caring responsibilities (e.g. flexible working arrangements)
• Occupational health and welfare counseling (from psychotherapy to financial guidance)
• Resettlement and outplacement support and services
• A subsidised convalescence home
• Holiday play schemes to help with your childcare
• A range of development and mentoring schemes
• Membership of the Police Federation and staff associations to support and represent your needs.

Sports & social

The MPS offers all its employees, as well as their families and friends, a range of subsidised leisure and sporting activities and opportunities - including a number of clubs and societies run by COMETS, our sports and social association:

• Angling Society
• Excelsior @ NSY Social Club
• Golfing Society
• Football Club
• Road Running Club
• MPA Sports and Social Club

COMETS also organises discounted group trips and short breaks all over the world for members and their families, as well as running occasional outings such as the trips to the theatre and providing beneficial access to National Trust attractions and all venues associated with the Imperial War museum.

In addition to COMETS, our employees can join the Metropolitan Police Athletics Association, giving you access to the full range of friendly and competitive sporting activities on offer, including sailing, rugby, football, cricket, flying, squash, darts and bowls.

You can also become a member of one of our four sports clubs in Chigwell, Essex; Hayes, Kent; Imber Court, Surrey; and Bushey, Herts. Great places to unwind, each club has a gym, bar and active social club. They also organise special events, such as children's parties and wedding receptions, and allow you to hire the sports club facilities at greatly discounted rates.