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1.2 ALTERING A DUTY ROSTER – EXIGENCY OF DUTY

PNB Circular 86/9

PNB Circular 2017/2

Workforce Agreement

(a) A duty roster can be altered only where:

  • It is at the officer’s own request, or
  • It is agreed by the Joint Central Committee, or
  • Where there is an exigency of duty, or
  • In the case of a part-time officer, or a full-time flexible working officer, where it has been agreed between the officer and the chief constable.

(b) Changes to rosters should only be made after full consideration of wellbeing, operational and practical circumstances rather than purely on financial grounds.  This consideration should be demonstrable.

(c) An exigency of duty:

  • Is a perceived pressing demand, need or requirement. (Pressing means an expected situation at the time when the duty is to be performed rather than the time when the duty is to be changed).
  • Is almost always outwith the control of Police Scotland.
  • Should not arise from poor planning or organisational mistakes.
  • Could be an unforeseen public order situation; court attendance; essential training.

(d) Where an exigency of duty arises, an officer should be told as soon as the requirement for the change is known and in any event 24 hours before the changed or original starting time of the period of duty, whichever is the earlier. The exception to this is unforeseen court attendance where the notice period shall be a minimum of 12 hours before the changed or the original starting time of the period of duty, whichever is the earlier.

(e) Where an officer is not given due notice of a change to the roster in the circumstances above, the requirement to work will be deemed either as a recall to duty or a period of overtime.

(f) Where, owing to the exigencies of duty, it is necessary to alter the duty roster, the officer responsible for making the alteration must endeavour, so far as practicable, to avoid breaching the provision for an interval of not less than 11 hours between periods of duty and an interval between each of that constable’s rostered rest days not exceeding 6 days.

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