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The Preventive Staff Association |
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GENERAL - Page contents: |
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THE PUBLICATIONS - Page contents: |
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THE SERVICES - Page contents: |
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Before the Whitley System of bargaining was introduced, staff with grievances were obliged to go cap in hand to their Member of Parliament and lobby him with a petition. There is an apocryphal story about a 19th century Prime Minister who, when told that the Customs were lobbying for a pay rise, was said to have retorted "Give ‘em’ bigger pockets". The Preventive Staff Association (PSA), which superseded The Preventive Officers’ & Boatmens’ Association, was the 'Trade Union' that represented Assistant Preventive Officers, Preventive Officers and Chief Preventive Officers until it was absorbed into the Customs Excise Group in 1972. It operated within the Whitley System from its Headquarters offices in central London - some of the office addresses, which changed over time, are listed below. The PSA made, and administered, a number of initiatives for the benefit of its membership - including several publications listed here. The PSA joined the C&E Group at the time of Reorganisation in 1972. The Membership Card shown on the right was a simple card of the late 1960's. |
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Previous to that it had been in booklet form, but only contained the PSA's Constitution & Rules and a list of the Officers of the Association. A PDF copy of Charlie Beckett's Membership Card of about 1951 is available from the 'button' to the right. |
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In 1958 the Membership Card, again in booklet form and about A7 size, contained a copy of the PSA Constitution & Rules, a list of the Officers of the Association and a record of the subscriptions paid. A PDF copy of DC Jones 1958 Membership Card is available from the 'button' to the right. |
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In 1961 receipts were issued when subscriptions were paid. A copy of such a receipt issued to Peter Hopkins APO can be seen by selecting the 'button' on the right. |
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The 1965 PSA Constitution, as published in the June edition of the Customs Journal, is available as a PDF from the 'button' to the right. |
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c1939 |
c1950 |
- 1951 |
1951 - February 1965 |
March 1965 - December 1971 |
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Thames Chambers 13 Beer Lane London EC 3 |
Bell House Fish Street Hill London EC 3 |
32 Great Ormond Street London WC 1 |
Killarny House 47/49 Monument Street London EC 3 |
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Peek House 20 Eastcheap London EC 3 |
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Above the Post Office at the bottom of Fish Street Hill in Billingsgate Fish Market. |
The PSA held its own, seperate, Annual Conference from 1923, when Councillors - Not Delegates - gathered to debate the issues of the day and plan policy for the year ahead.
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The PSA Conference - 'Tour to Glenco' - 1948
Delegates: From the left - DT Sutherland - Editor of the Journal, F Nightingale, L Basset, VJ Benham, HEP Bevan, JG Clark, R Ingram, FC Shaw - President, W Standring, OS Oldfield, WP Baker, DC Stewart, F Hope - General Secretary, AE Farmer, T Weddick, FJ Heaver, RC Painter, DS Grant & AE Hartshorn. Ladies: From the left - JG Clark's Fiancee, Mrs. Wlnn, Mrs. DC Stewart, Mrs. RC Painter, Mrs. DS Grant, Mrs. F Nightingale, Mrs. EA Hartshorn, Mrs. LG Basset, Mrs. W Standring, Mrs. S Oldfleld, Miss Farmer, Mrs. AE Farmer & Mrs. WP Baker. Others: L Cameron - DCO, |
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The PSA Conference - Newcastle upon Tyne 1951 - The 'Plaque' Conference The conference was held in the Rex Hotel, Newcastle upon Tyne, During the conference, on the 16 October, there was a service held at the Cathedral Church of St Nicholas, Newcastle upon Tyne dedicated to the memory of those members of the Preventive Staff who gave their lives in both World Wars. The introductory paragraph of the Order of Service stated that the plaque 'is to be placed in the Head Office of the Association in London'. The plaque is now held at the UKBA Museum at Albert Dock, Liverpool - formerly the Customs and Excise National Museum.
The Officers in the photograph include Colin Dickinson, Les Crockford, Fred Smallwood & Norman Goodson. |
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The PSA Conference - Southport 1961
Delegates: Including : Ron Batten, David Nichols & Dave Youdell - the Delegates from Southampton |
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The PSA Conference - Southport 1961
Delegates: Posing outside the Prince of Wales Hotel |
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The Customs Journal was the initiative of members of The Preventive Officers' & Boatmen's Association in the Port of Hull in 1904. Mr Ernest Edward Crowe, a Boatman, volunteered to print the eight page paper at home on a second hand press bought for £7.10s.0d (£7.50). The first Edition ran to 400 copies. At this time the 'modern' Waterguard was barely 12 years old, following on from the Goschen Minute recommendations of 1891 which began the separation of the Landing Officers from the Waterguard.
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The First Edition 9th April 1904 |
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The First Picture Cover Edition 16th July 1904 |
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Vol 51 No.1086 - Golden Jubilee Edition - April 1954 |
Vol 78 No. 1283 - The last Edition December 1971 |
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:::: Flip Book copies of the relevant edition can be seen by 'clicking' on the image of the cover above :::: |
After the First World War, responsibility for printing the Journal was transferred to the Association's HQ and the printing placed in the hands of Messrs Greaves of Dulwich where it remained until the PSA was wound up at the time of Reorganisation. The Journal was always very professionally produced and as well as being a vehicle for PSA Headquarters to distribute information, regular correspondents filled the pages with witty essays, verse and doggerel, articles for the benefit of staff studying for exams, and of course letters to the Editor, usually ‘slagging off’ the Board of Customs & Excise.
Mr Crowe was promoted to Preventive Officer in 1911 and retired in 1924. He died in 1940. The Customs Journal is believed to have been the longest running UK Civil Service 'House Magazine' when it became another casualty of the 1972 'Reorganisation'.
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A full list of the Customs Journals held on this site as PDFs can be seen and, the particular edition accessed, by selecting the 'button' on the right. |
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On 4 November 1949 a Complimentary Dinner was held for WE Standring on his retirement from the post of president of the PSA. |
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At the Trades Union Conference - Blackpool 1968
PSA Officers (By the caricaturist 'Sallon') Left: Jim Douglas - PSA President Right: Bob Lowe - PSA General Secretary |
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Extensive use was made of the Courts in 1960. For example a seizure of 2000 cigarettes or more saw the offender spend a night in a Police cell and an appearance in the Magistrates' Court the following morning. Compromise penalties were restricted to seizures of goods where the Revenue involved did not exceed £15. However it must be remembered that £15 was more than a weeks’ wages in the 1960's. Obviously it was necessary to learn Court procedure and, as no training was given, it was necessary to attend Magistrates' Courts in various parts of the country and observe how the professionals did it.
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The Court Manual, or 'Court Procedure for Customs Officers' to give its full title was written for the PSA by C Frank Shaw, a Liverpool Preventive Officer, and was a valuable tool for staff who were called to conduct legal proceedings in the Magistrates’ Courts. A copy in use in the 1950's is available here as a PDF file. |
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The publication took account of the legal differences between England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and was divided into eleven Chapters and four Appendices:
Another useful publication to assist in legal training was the 'Moriarty Police Guide'. Although written for the Police this book was a mine of information.
The Green Book, which began as a compilation of duty tables (rates of tax due) in the early 1930's, grew into a practical, portable and reliable reference book for the Waterguard officer. To quote G Pearce, General Secretary of the PSA in his foreword to the 1965 edition 'In offering this, the Seventh edition, we trust we have produced a publication which will serve the members' needs whilst giving assistance to those in other quarters, far and near, who have occasion to use it.' The Green Book was intended for supply to PSA members only and was published by the PSA without the authority of HM Board of Customs & Excise who accepted no responsibility for its contents.
New editions were published as required and major amendments were issued between complete editions. The 3rd edition was published in 1937, the fourth in 1947, the fifth in 1950, the sixth in 1953 and the last edition in 1965.
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Although a complete copy of the Green Book is not included on the site, the lists of contents of various editions are included in some of the PDFs listed below. By the 1965 edition, the 'List of Contents' had grown seventeen sections covering the complete range of Waterguard work. A copy of the 'List of Contents' is available here as a PDF file. |
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The Green Books also contained Staff Lists. Some of these Staff Lists can be seen as PDFs by selecting the appropriate 'button' on the right below.
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This publication was a digest of items and goods commonly encountered in passengers’ baggage and crews’ effects and contained the varying rates of Customs & Excise duties and Purchase Tax. It also incorporated a Ready Reckoner for the calculation of charges. There was no rounding down of charges in those days, the duties were calculated to the nearest penny at Tariff Rates and accuracy was deemed to be of paramount importance.
Underpayment errors in charges exceeding 2s 6d (12.5p) were reported to the Waterguard Superintendent, whilst errors exceeding £1 were reported to the Board. This could bring down their wrath with dire threats of loss of an increment if more care was not exercised in future.
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A copy of the third edition of the Green Book Tariff & Supplement, date stamped 1948, with many manuscript amendments by its then owner, believed to be HB Bevan Preventive Officer In Charge at Neyland Pembrokeshire, can be seen as a PDF by selecting the 'button' on the right. |
Later on the value of this Publication was recognised and the PSA, in the person of Fred Smallwood CPO, co-operated with the Board in producing an Official Ready Reckoner retaining much the same format.
This document was a very useful for staff returning from the Armed Forces in 1945. Some of them had been away for anything up to 5 years and this Booklet brought them up to speed on the many changes in their pay and conditions whilst they had been away at War.
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This guide gave valuable assistance to Staff employed at Single Officer Small Ports. It was written for the PSA by William George Thomson, Preventive Officer, and went into great detail about the various duties of Small Port work much of which was dealt with on behalf of other Government Departments. A 1929 copy is available here as a PDF file. |
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The Small Port Guide was divided into eight sections, each covering an area of work not normally undertaken in such detail by Preventive Officers or Assistant Preventive Officers at the major ports (at least not in 1929):
Registry of Shipping
Light Dues
Mercantile Marine
Fishing Boats
Wreck
Royal Naval Reserve (Men)
Customs
Schedules and Returns
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This was a form of Insurance for the benefit of members who found themselves on half pay due to being absent on extended sick leave. There had always been 'ad hoc' arrangements to assist colleagues who found themselves in this position, usually by way of office collections.
Following a Conference Resolution, the Organising Secretary of the time – Jack Heath – initiated a scheme with a Friendly Society whereby staff could take out Insurance to cover them for the loss of income whilst on half pay. The subscription was cheap, it produced annual dividends which were reinvested and the scheme repaid all subscriptions and dividends when the officer finally retired, without any reduction in relation to any benefits which may have been received.
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A copy of the form to accompany the yearly Sickness Benefit and Death Benefit Scheme premium payment for 1970/1971 can be seen by selecting the 'button' on the right. |
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This took the form of a correspondence course designed to prepare Assistant Preventive Officers for the examination to Preventive Officer and Preventive Officers for the examination to Chief Preventive Officer. In 1954, for a payment of £3.10s.0d (£3.50) students would be allocated a PO or CPO tutor and receive a set of reading material and a series of exercises covering the complete range of the work of a Preventive Officer or Chief Preventive Officer. By the 1960's the cost had risen to £7.5s.0d (£7.25) but still represented good value. The course was constructed to last for about a year and as the various tasks were completed they would be sent to the tutor to be marked. The Tutor would mark the paper and then give guidance to his student. This training was usually supplemented in the Divisions by classes held by local volunteers at both PO and CPO level.
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The scheme's rules were approved by the PSA's Annual Council. A 1964 amendment to these rules was published in the August 1964 edition of the Customs Journal which can be seen by selecting the 'button' on the right. |
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This Vocational Training included mock examinations. Included on the right are links to PDF copies of two PO to CPO 'mock' examinations from 1958. |
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