PART 2ELIGIBILITY FOR PENSION AWARDS, PENSIONABLE SERVICE AND RETIREMENT

Retirement

Retirement14.

(1)

Subject to paragraph (2), a reference in these Regulations to retirement includes a retirement under regulation 15, 16, 17, or 18 but does not include a reference to—

(a)

leaving the police service on transferring to a police force in Great Britain;

(b)

ceasing to serve as a police officer, otherwise than on retirement under regulation 18, from a date before that on which the officer concerned attains the age of 55 years (whether he so ceases to serve voluntarily, upon the expiry without extension (or further extension) of the period of an appointment for a fixed term in accordance with regulation 11 of the 2005 Regulations6 or upon being dismissed);

(c)

retirement within the meaning of section 35(3) (b) of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 20007 in a case where, under that section, the Chief Constable is required to retire before the date on which he attains the age of 55 years; or

(d)

leaving the police service on joining the National Criminal Intelligence Service or the National Crime Squad and subsequently becoming a specified employee of SOCA.

(2)

A police officer who fulfils the qualifying service criterion and who is dismissed on or after the date on which he attains the age of 55 years, shall be deemed for the purposes of these Regulations to have retired under regulation 15 on the date his dismissal took effect, having given such notice to the Board of his intention to retire and with any necessary consent having been given as is specified under that regulation.

(3)

A police officer fulfils the qualifying service criteria if—

(a)

he has at least two years’ qualifying service; or

(b)

regulation 12 applies to him.

(4)

In paragraph (3), “two years’ qualifying service” has the meaning assigned to it by section 67(7) of the 1993 Act8.