It is fair to say my friend’s retirement, and that of many of his colleagues, was brought about by the comprehensive spending review which is impacting across the whole of society. My friend’s pension ensures he will be financially secure, so his motivation is not money but, rather, that he needs to do something with the rest of his life. With 30 years’ experience he has a great deal to offer, yet he wouldn’t entertain any thought of going back to pounding the beat.
There is a distinction between somebody being public spirited and organising a neighbourhood watch scheme – which is how I would envisage the Big Society operating within a law and order context – and a highly experienced police officer switching from being paid for what he does to doing it voluntarily, which smacks of law and order on the cheap.
I fear that using volunteers to provide essential public services, such as policing, is fraught with risk. The paid employee generally goes to work because he needs to earn a living, but the volunteer does not use that rationale so there is a much greater risk of him giving up his role. For the very same reasons, it will be far more difficult to replace that individual if he decides to leave.
