The legislative basis governing pension forfeiture for Police Officers is Regulation K5 of the Police Pensions Regulations 1987, Regulation 55 Part 4 of the Police Pension Regulations 2006 and Part 13 Chapter 5 of the Police Pension Regulations 2015.
Guidance in respect of forfeiture of police pensions is contained in Home Office Pension Forfeiture Guidance – February 2021.
Forfeiture of pension may be considered in the following circumstances:
- A pension scheme member has been convicted of treason or of offences under the Official Secrets Acts 1911 and 1939 and has been sentenced to a term (or terms) of imprisonment of at least ten years; or
- A pension scheme member has been convicted of an offence committed in connection with his or her service as a member of a police force, which is certified by the Home Secretary either to have been gravely injurious to the interests of the State, or to be liable to lead to a serious loss of confidence in the public service.
The Pension Forfeiture process has 3 stages:
1. The first stage is for the PCC (as the Pension Supervising Authority) to identify a case where a convicted officer has committed an offence in connection with his service as a member of a Police Force and to make a decision to apply to the Secretary of State for a Certificate of Pension Forfeiture.
2. The second stage is for the Home Secretary to consider whether to issue a certificate, following the PCC’s application.
3. The third stage follows the issue of certificate and is the decision by the PCC as to whether or not the pension should be forfeited and the determination of the extent of the forfeiture
The courts have ruled that a Police Officer’s pension may be forfeited by no more than 65%, the remainder reflecting an officer’s own contributions which cannot be forfeited.
Please see our Pension Forfeiture Policy for more details
Pension forfeitures undertaken by the PCC
2026
None recorded at this time.