The message below was circulated forcewide by the Chief Constable at 13.22 on Monday 29th June 2009.

Dear Colleague,

Voting for the proposed new NRT shift pattern has now closed with 993 NRT and student officers having contributed to the final result.

With the outcome being such an important issue for both the public we serve and the work-life balance of officers, I am particularly pleased that 81% of all eligible officers voted.

The final result is that of the 993 officers who voted 853 (85.9%) were in favour of the proposed new shift pattern being implemented.

The proposed new variable shift arrangement required a majority vote of 66% to secure its implementation. With a majority vote having been achieved, I am pleased to announce that we will now be able to introduce a shift pattern for frontline NRT officers that will serve the public well, provide operational resilience and address the work-life balance issues identified by officers during the consultation period held earlier this year.

I fully recognise that any shift pattern will always have an impact upon personal lives. However, the contributions and input that NRT officers and Sussex Police Federation gave the review have, I believe, provided a shift pattern that will stand the test of time.

The implementation date is Monday 5th October 2009. In the run up to this date, duties officers will make the necessary transitional arrangements and populate new duty rotas.

My thanks go to all who contributed their views and influenced the final outcome.

Martin Richards

Chief Constable