Retire and Rejoin
Force Tracker
Which forces in England and Wales run retire and rejoin (or retire and rehire), who can apply, the break they set and what happens to your pension, with chief officer cases and freedom of information counts. Every row has its source and the date we last checked it.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 21 October 2026 · England and Wales unless stated
There is no national scheme, so each force decides. West Midlands and Cambridgeshire publish full written policies; both abate the pension by default and need a one-month break (West Midlands none at 55 and over). West Yorkshire and the Met have been reported to run schemes. Chief constables in South Wales, Kent, Derbyshire and Sussex have retired and rejoined or announced it. FOI answers: Greater Manchester 32 and Cumbria 4 since 2019. Last checked 21 October 2026.
The tracker
Each row is what we could confirm from the source linked, as at 21 October 2026. Rows marked "reported" were read in search summaries only, because the page itself could not be opened; treat them as leads to check, not settled fact.
| Force | Status | Who can apply | Break | Pension while serving | Source, last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Midlands Police | Written policy, v1.1 effective 8 April 2026 | 1987 members with 30 years, or 25 years and aged 50 or over; 2006 members who retired at 55 or over; normally constable to inspector. Excludes ill-health retirees, live sanctions and anyone in UPP or UAP | One month; none needed at 55 and over (change made 18 March 2026) | Abated except in exceptional circumstances; no partial abatement for part-time hours; full pension resumes on leaving; lump sum kept | Source; 21 October 2026 |
| Cambridgeshire Constabulary | Written Retire and Rehire (30+) policy | Federated and superintending ranks with full legacy scheme membership who retired within the last 2 years; officers in the 2015 scheme only cannot apply | At least one calendar month | Abated for the duration; the Chief Constable may relieve it in full or in part. Appeal within 7 days | Source; 21 October 2026 |
| West Yorkshire Police (reported) | Reported to run a retire and rejoin process | Reported: ranks up to and including Chief Constable; former officers who left within 12 months; a presumption towards approval | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Source; 21 October 2026 |
| Metropolitan Police Service (reported) | Reported return scheme, reported closed to new applications | Reported: constables and sergeants | Reported: at least one calendar month | Not confirmed | Search summary only; 21 October 2026 |
| South Wales Police | Chief Constable to retire and rejoin (PCC statement, 17 July 2026) | Chief officer case | A month and a day | Statement does not say; it says no additional cost to the taxpayer | Source; 21 October 2026 |
| Kent Police (reported) | Chief Constable retired and rejoined (reported in panel papers) | Chief officer case | Reported: retired 28 February, rejoined 1 April 2025 | Reported: pension abated | Source; 21 October 2026 |
| Derbyshire Constabulary (reported) | Chief Constable retired and returned on a fixed term (reported) | Chief officer case | Reported: one month, after retiring on 7 October 2024 | Not stated in what we could read | Source; 21 October 2026 |
| Sussex Police (reported) | Chief Constable retired and rejoined in 2024 (reported by Police Oracle) | Chief officer case | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Source; 21 October 2026 |
A force missing from this table may well run a scheme: we list only what we could find in public sources. If you know of a published policy we have missed, our corrections policy explains how to tell us.
How to read the tracker
- Status. Whether there is a written policy, a reported process or a single chief officer case. A chief officer case shows the force will use reg 10B; it does not mean there is a scheme for other ranks.
- Who can apply. Force schemes are usually narrower than regulation 10B, which lets the chief officer appoint at any rank.
- Break. The force's own minimum. HMRC's protected pension age conditions (1987 guide) and the 2015 scheme's 28-day rule (2015 guide) sit on top of it.
- Pension while serving. Whether a 1987 or 2006 pension is abated. A 2015 pension is never abated. See does my pension stop if I rejoin?
- Last checked. The date we last read the source. Policies change; ask the force for the current version.
Two published policies side by side
West Midlands and Cambridgeshire are the two full policies we could read. They show how much forces differ inside the same regulations.
| West Midlands Police (v1.1, 8 April 2026) | Cambridgeshire Constabulary (Retire and Rehire 30+) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who can apply | 1987 members with 30 years, or 25 years and aged 50 or over; 2006 members who retired at 55 or over | Federated and superintending ranks with full legacy scheme membership who retired within the last 2 years |
| 2015-only officers | Not within the stated eligibility | Cannot apply; the force's own equality assessment notes this hits women and minority groups harder |
| Ranks | Normally constable to inspector; same or lower rank | Federated and superintending ranks |
| Excluded | Ill-health retirees, live sanctions, anyone in UPP or UAP | Not covered in what we read |
| Break | One month; none at 55 and over since 18 March 2026 | At least one calendar month |
| Pay on return | Pay point by previous service; housing allowance not restored | Former pay if same rank; no housing allowance |
| Pension | Abated except in exceptional circumstances; no partial abatement for part-time hours; full pension resumes on leaving; lump sum kept | Abated for the duration; Chief Constable may relieve fully or partly |
| 2015 scheme | Enrolled; can opt out | Enrolled; can opt out |
| Hours and moves | Up to 40 hours a week; 12 months before a lateral move | Not covered in what we read |
| Leave | Annual leave and TOIL not carried over | Not covered in what we read |
| Appeal | Not covered in what we read | Within 7 days |
| Probation | 12 months where the gap is 12 months or more | Not covered in what we read |
West Midlands Police
West Midlands' Retire and Rejoin Policy, version 1.1, took effect on 8 April 2026 and is published on its freedom of information pages. It is the most detailed policy we found.
- Why it exists. It cites NPCC National Reward Team Guidance Note 8 and three reasons: keeping experienced officers during Uplift, the end of compulsory retirement ages on 1 April 2022 and the pension trap between the legacy and 2015 schemes.
- Eligibility. 1987 members with 30 years' service, or 25 years and aged 50 or over; 2006 members who retired at 55 or over; normally constable to inspector. Ill-health retirees, officers with live sanctions and anyone in unsatisfactory performance or attendance procedures (UPP, UAP) are excluded.
- Break. One month, with no break needed at 55 and over since a change on 18 March 2026.
- Rank and pay. Same or lower rank; pay point set by previous service; housing allowance not restored.
- Pension. Abated except in exceptional circumstances; no partial abatement for part-time hours; full pension resumes on leaving; a lump sum already paid is not lost. Rejoiners are enrolled in the 2015 scheme and can opt out.
- Working pattern. Up to 40 hours a week; 12 months in post before a lateral move; annual leave and TOIL not carried over; 12 months' probation where the gap is 12 months or more.
Cambridgeshire Constabulary
Cambridgeshire's Retire and Rehire (30+) policy and procedure is published in Peterborough City Council committee papers.
- Eligibility. Federated and superintending ranks with full legacy scheme membership who retired within the last 2 years.
- 2015-only officers. Cannot apply. The force's own equality assessment notes that this affects women and minority groups more.
- Break. At least one calendar month.
- Pay. Former pay if returning at the same rank; no housing allowance.
- Pension. Abated for the duration of the re-employment, with the Chief Constable able to relieve the abatement fully or partly.
- Appeal. Within 7 days.
Cambridgeshire's policy describes abatement in broad terms. The pension regulations limit abatement to service as a police officer (1987 reg K4, 2006 reg 52), so a staff job is not abated whatever a policy says. We have not quoted that part of the policy for that reason.
West Yorkshire and the Met: reported schemes
We could read only search summaries of these, so everything below is reported, not confirmed.
- West Yorkshire Police. Its own page has been reported to describe a process open to ranks up to and including Chief Constable, for former officers who left within the previous 12 months, with a presumption towards approval. An FOI figure of 24 officers retiring and rejoining within three months has also been reported. We could not open either source.
- Metropolitan Police Service. A Met return scheme has been reported for constables and sergeants, with at least one calendar month's break and reported as not accepting new applications. A figure of 447 has been reported for the Met's FOI count. We could not open the sources.
If you serve or served in either force, ask HR for the current written policy rather than relying on these.
Chief officer cases
Chief officer cases show what reg 10B allows at the top of the service, not what a force's scheme offers other officers. Kent's case was reportedly treated as a new appointment, with police and crime panel scrutiny.
| Force | Chief officer | What happened | Pension | Status of the source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Wales Police | Jeremy Vaughan | To retire in summer 2026 and rejoin after a month and a day, fixed term to the end of 2028. The PCC cites Home Office Circular 007/2024 | Statement says no additional cost to the taxpayer; does not say whether abated | PCC statement, 17 July 2026 (Source) |
| Kent Police | Tim Smith | Retired 28 February, rejoined 1 April 2025. Home Office advised treating it as a new appointment under the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011, with panel scrutiny; term to 7 December 2029 | Reported as abated | Read in summary only (Source) |
| Derbyshire Constabulary | Rachel Swann | Retired 7 October 2024, one-month break, fixed term to the end of July 2026 | Not stated in what we read | Read in summary only (Source) |
| Sussex Police | Jo Shiner | Retired and rejoined in 2024 | Not confirmed | Police Oracle, subscriber article (Source) |
We have left out cases we could only find in fragments with unclear dates.
Freedom of information counts
There is no national total. These figures come from FOI answers about officers who retired and were re-appointed within three months, counting from 1 January 2019.
| Force | Retired and rejoined within 3 months, since 1 January 2019 | Date and status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Manchester Police | 32 | FOI response 17 December 2024 | Source |
| Cumbria Constabulary | 4 | FOI response 18 December 2024 | Source |
| West Yorkshire Police | 24 (reported) | Seen in a search summary only; we could not open the response | Search summary only |
| Metropolitan Police Service | 447 (reported) | Seen in a search summary only; we could not open the response | Search summary only |
The two confirmed answers are both from December 2024, so they do not include anyone who has rejoined since. Different forces may count differently, so the figures are not directly comparable.
Timeline: how forces' approach has changed
| Date | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 30+ scheme introduced, according to the NPCC: pension paid on top of pay | NPCC slides, 4 July 2024 |
| February 2007 | About 1,200 officers on 30+ (NPIA survey) | NPCC slides |
| By May 2008 | Seven forces had suspended or withdrawn 30+: Greater Manchester, Humberside, Lincolnshire, Merseyside, Norfolk, North Yorkshire and South Wales | Police Professional, 8 May 2008 |
| 31 March 2010 | 30+ closed to new applicants; HM Treasury approval ended | NPCC slides |
| 1 April 2010 | 30++ from this date: pension abated, lump sum kept, housing allowance stopped, one-month break | NPCC slides; SPPA Police Circular 2/2010 |
| 22 February 2019 | Regulation 10B substituted; the five-year limit on rejoining in rank removed | SI 2018/1191; Home Office Circular 003/2019 |
| 2020 | Temporary COVID relaxation of the one-month break for ages 50 to 54 (ended) | NPCC CPRS v2.5.1 |
| 1 April 2022 | Compulsory retirement ages ended; legacy schemes closed to future accrual | PFEW circular 007/2022; Home Office remedy response |
| July 2022 | NPCC abatement guidance: default pay only | NPCC slides |
| 2022 | Northamptonshire PCC proposal for the then Chief Constable draws union objections | Northamptonshire Journal |
| 2024 to 2026 | Chief constables in Derbyshire, Sussex, Kent and South Wales retire and rejoin or announce it | See the table above |
| 18 March 2026 | West Midlands removes its break for those aged 55 and over | West Midlands policy v1.1 |
We found no Home Office or Treasury change to police abatement between 2023 and 21 October 2026. That is absence of evidence, not proof nothing changed. The NPCC's 2024 slides note that the Home Office position "may change".
The debate
Retire and rejoin divides opinion. Forces that run it point to keeping experienced officers. The South Wales PCC said its Chief Constable's arrangement would come at "no additional cost to the taxpayer"; we report that as the PCC's claim and have not tested it. Where a force does not abate, Police Pension Fund Regulations 2007 reg 5 requires it to pay an amount equal to the pension into the pension fund, so the cost depends on the abatement decision.
In 2022 a Northamptonshire PCC proposal for the then Chief Constable drew objections from unions, who said such schemes block promotion for others. In November 2024 Police Oracle reported PCC Simon Foster calling it a "national problem" caused by an "irrational" pension system; we have seen only the headline. In 2008 seven forces suspended or withdrew the old 30+ scheme.
Scotland and Northern Ireland
- Scotland. The Scottish Police Authority decides abatement for returning officers. The Scottish Public Pensions Agency's factsheet (2 September 2024) says a return as an officer is "relatively rare" and that Police Scotland and the SPA count as one employer, so a civilian job with either needs a one-month break to keep a protected pension age. SPPA Police Circular 2/2010 introduced the Scottish version of 30++ from April 2010.
- Northern Ireland. We have not checked the current PSNI rules. Historically, the Northern Ireland Audit Office reported that over 1,000 retired officers returned as agency staff after the Patten severance scheme. That was agency work, not re-appointment as officers.
Questions to ask any force
Whether your force is in the tracker or not, these are the questions the published policies answer. Ask for the answers in writing, with the date of the policy they come from.
| Ask the force | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Do you run a retire and rejoin (or retire and rehire) scheme now and is it open to applications? | Some schemes have been reported as closed to new applications |
| Who is eligible: which schemes, ranks, years of service and how recently retired? | Cambridgeshire needs retirement within 2 years and full legacy membership; West Midlands sets service and age tests |
| Do I need approval before I retire? | Ask how long a decision takes; Cambridgeshire allows an appeal within 7 days of a refusal |
| What break do you require? | One calendar month is common; West Midlands needs none at 55 and over |
| Will my pension be abated, in full or in part and who decides? | The default in NPCC guidance is pay only; Cambridgeshire's Chief Constable can relieve abatement |
| Do you reduce abatement for part-time hours? | West Midlands does not |
| What rank and pay point would I return at? | West Midlands: same or lower rank, pay point by previous service |
| What probation, vetting, medical and fitness checks apply? | It is a new appointment under reg 10B |
| Is there a fixed term? | Chief officer cases have used fixed terms; ask whether officer posts do |
| Do my annual leave and TOIL carry over? | West Midlands says they do not |
Pension questions (which parts can be abated, the break, the 2015 scheme's 28-day rule) go to your pension administrator rather than HR. The retire and rejoin guide lists them.
If your force is not listed
- Ask HR for the written policy. Use the force's own name for it: retire and rejoin, retire and rehire, retire and return or 30+.
- Check the FOI disclosure log. West Midlands' policy is published there; others may be.
- Make an FOI request. Ask for the current policy, the abatement policy and how many officers have been re-appointed.
- Ask the administrator. Abatement is the scheme manager's decision; ask how your pension would be treated.
- Run the numbers. The retire and rejoin calculator compares the outcomes under full, capped or no abatement.
For how the scheme works in general, read the retire and rejoin guide.
What we could not verify and how we handled it
- West Yorkshire and Met details and numbers. Search summaries only; marked "reported".
- Kent and Derbyshire chief officer details. Summaries only; marked as such.
- Sussex. Subscriber article; we have the headline and summary only.
- Other forces. Absence from the tracker does not mean a force has no scheme.
- NPCC Guidance Note 8. Not public; cited by West Midlands.
- PSNI. Current rules not checked.
Want to talk your pension through with someone?
Our calculators show the numbers, but some decisions (when to go, how much lump sum to take, your McCloud choice, a tax charge) are worth talking through with a regulated adviser. Tell us where you are and Andrew, who runs PolicePay, will reply by email.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which police forces do retire and rejoin?
There is no national list. West Midlands Police and Cambridgeshire Constabulary publish written policies. West Yorkshire Police and the Met have been reported to run schemes. Chief constables in South Wales, Kent, Derbyshire and Sussex have retired and rejoined or announced it. FOI answers show Greater Manchester (32) and Cumbria (4) have re-appointed officers within three months of retiring since 2019.
Is there a national retire and rejoin scheme?
No. Regulation 10B of the Police Regulations 2003 allows re-appointment, but each force decides whether to run a scheme and on what terms. NPCC guidance exists on abatement and on retirement and rejoiners, but it does not create a national scheme.
Does West Midlands Police allow retire and rejoin?
Yes. Its Retire and Rejoin Policy v1.1, effective 8 April 2026, covers 1987 members with 30 years (or 25 years and aged 50 or over) and 2006 members who retired at 55 or over, normally constable to inspector. It needs a one-month break, none at 55 and over and abates the pension except in exceptional circumstances.
Can 2015 scheme officers apply for retire and rehire?
It depends on the force. Cambridgeshire's policy excludes officers who are only in the 2015 scheme and its own equality assessment notes this affects women and minority groups more. West Midlands' eligibility is also framed around 1987 and 2006 members.
How many officers have retired and rejoined?
There is no national total. Greater Manchester Police said 32 officers retired and rejoined within three months between 1 January 2019 and December 2024 and Cumbria said 4. Larger figures for West Yorkshire and the Met have been reported, but we could not open those responses.
Does Police Scotland do retire and rejoin?
The Scottish Public Pensions Agency says a return as a police officer is relatively rare and that the Scottish Police Authority decides abatement for returning officers. Scotland introduced its own 30++ style arrangement from April 2010.
Does the PSNI allow retired officers to rejoin?
We have not checked the current PSNI rules. Historically, the Northern Ireland Audit Office reported that more than 1,000 retired officers returned as agency staff after the Patten severance scheme, which is a different arrangement from rejoining as an officer.
How do I find my force's retire and rejoin policy?
Ask force HR or the people services team for the current written policy. Some forces publish policies in their freedom of information disclosure logs, which is where the West Midlands policy is. If it is not published, you can make a freedom of information request for it.
Why are chief constables retiring and rejoining?
Public statements give different reasons. South Wales's PCC framed it as keeping the Chief Constable for a fixed term at no additional cost to the taxpayer. Critics, including a PCC quoted by Police Oracle, have called the pension system behind it irrational. Unions objected to a 2022 Northamptonshire proposal on the grounds that such schemes block promotion.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 21 October 2026. Rules and figures change, so check the source for the date you are reading this. Where we could not confirm something from an official or independent source, the page says so rather than guessing. Spotted something out of date? See our corrections policy.
- West Midlands Police: Retire and Rejoin Policy v1.1, effective 8 April 2026 (FOI publication) : eligibility, one-month break (none at 55 and over from 18 March 2026), rank and pay point, abatement, lump sum kept, 2015 enrolment, NPCC Guidance Note 8 reasons (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Cambridgeshire Constabulary: Retire and Rehire (30+) policy and procedure (Peterborough City Council papers) : eligibility, one calendar month break, former pay, abatement and relief by the Chief Constable, 7-day appeal (accessed 21 October 2026)
- West Yorkshire Police: retire and rejoin information : read in summary only (accessed 21 October 2026)
- South Wales PCC: Chief Constable Vaughan retire and rehire, statement (17 July 2026) : retire in summer 2026, rejoin after a month and a day, fixed term to the end of 2028, Home Office Circular 007/2024 (accessed 21 October 2026)
- South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner: report, 15 April 2026 (Merthyr Tydfil Council papers) : what retire and rejoin means; staff jobs are not rejoining (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Kent County Council committee papers: the Chief Constable's re-appointment : read in summary only: retired 28 February and rejoined 1 April 2025 with pension abated; term to 7 December 2029 (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Derbyshire PCC: Chief Constable Rachel Swann announcement : read in summary only: retired 7 October 2024, one-month break, fixed term to the end of July 2026 (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Police Oracle: Briefing room, what is the retire and rejoin scheme? (1 October 2024) : subscriber article; we read the headline and summary only (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Northamptonshire Journal: Friday brief (2022) : the 2022 proposal for the then Chief Constable and union objections (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Greater Manchester Police FOI 24.013730: retired officers returning within 3 months (17 December 2024) : 32 since 1 January 2019 (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Cumbria Constabulary FOI 1072/24: retired officers returning (18 December 2024) : 4 since 1 January 2019 (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Police Regulations 2003, regulation 10B (rejoiners), latest version : former officers who completed probation and resigned or retired; rank decided by the chief officer; probation set by the Home Secretary (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Home Office Circular 003/2019: regulation 10B of the Police Regulations 2003, rejoiners (25 April 2019) : the 2019 rejoiner rules; the five-year limit on rejoining in rank removed (accessed 21 October 2026)
- NPCC Pension chat slides (Clair Alcock, 4 July 2024): abatement, contingent decisions, compensation, contributions : history of 30+ and 30++, NPCC guidance of July 2022 on abatement, no abatement in the 2015 scheme (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Police Professional (8 May 2008): forces suspending the 30+ scheme : seven forces had suspended or withdrawn 30+ by May 2008 (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Scottish Public Pensions Agency: Police Circular 2/2010, new retention scheme (8 February 2010) : 30+ replaced from 1 April 2010; mirrors England, Wales and Northern Ireland (accessed 21 October 2026)
- SPPA: police re-employment factsheet (2 September 2024) : abatement only for service as an officer; returns as an officer relatively rare; SPA decides; Police Scotland and SPA one employer (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Northern Ireland Audit Office: report on PSNI agency staff : over 1,000 retired officers returned as agency staff after the Patten severance scheme (accessed 21 October 2026)
- NPCC Coronavirus Police Retention Scheme v2.5.1 (3 June 2020) : temporary relaxation of the one-month break for officers aged 50 to 54 rejoining for the COVID response (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Police Federation: BB Circular 007/2022, compulsory retirement ages : compulsory retirement ages ended on 1 April 2022 (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Home Office: Police Pension Scheme prospective remedy, consultation response (8 March 2022) : legacy schemes closed to future accrual on 31 March 2022; everyone serving from 1 April 2022 is in the 2015 scheme (accessed 21 October 2026)
On this topic elsewhere
More in this guide series
Pension tools and guides
Disclaimer
PolicePay.co.uk is an independent reference site. It is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority and this page is general information, not financial, tax or pension advice and it cannot consider your personal circumstances. Pension and tax rules change and depend on your scheme, service and tax position: check your pension administrator's statement and, where sums are large or decisions hard to reverse, speak to an FCA-authorised adviser, Pension Wise (free guidance for defined contribution pensions only) or HMRC. Details apply to England and Wales unless stated. Details are as checked on 21 October 2026.