Question
What is the level of temporary promotions in PSNI and costs of these in the context of a slow down on recruitment due to budgetary pressures?
Answer
Please see below a rank/grade breakdown of all temporary promotions currently in place across the organisation as at 31st August 2023:
From a cost perspective, the vast majority of these temporary promotions are against existing vacancies at higher ranks and grades. There is also a requirement to use temporary promotion to address absences due to sickness and maternity leave whereby there is supervisory or specialist requirement to cover the position.
It is accepted that this use of temporary promotion inevitably has an impact on lower ranks and grades where there is limited capacity for backfill, particularly given the current pause in recruitment. The Resource Allocation Management Board continuously examines and allocates existing resources against strategic priorities and emerging operational demands with only exceptional resourcing requirements being approved. The requirement for a rank/grade ratio to be applied to the overall reduction in police officer and police staff establishment is accepted.
In the interim, a review of all temporary promotions is currently being completed in liaison with service delivery leads. In addition, c100 Sergeant promotions will be progressed in September to fill substantive vacancies currently filled on a temporary basis.