56.—(1) This paragraph applies to a regular police officer by whom contributions are for the time being payable under regulation 7.
(2) Subject to the following provisions of this regulation, a police officer to whom paragraph (1) applies may at any time, for the purpose of reckoning additional pensionable service (“added years”) in calculating the awards payable to, or in respect of, that officer under Part 4, elect to make payment to the police authority in accordance with the following provisions of this Part.
(3) Such an election is to be made by giving written notice to the police authority for the force in which the officer in question is serving, and that notice is to specify–
(a)the number of added years to be purchased;
(b)the date, no earlier than that on which the officer will attain the age of 55 years nor later than that on which that officer could be required to retire under regulation 19(1) or (2) if the officer continued to serve without change of rank, when that officer wishes the added years so purchased to become reckonable for the purpose of calculating awards; and
(c)whether payment is to be made by way of a lump sum in accordance with regulation 58 or periodical contributions in accordance with regulation 59.
(4) The total number of added years that may be purchased in accordance with regulations 58 and 59 by virtue of such an election shall not exceed 5 or such lesser number as would entitle the officer, if that officer were to serve continuously as a full-time member of the force from the date of the officer’s election under paragraph (2) until the date specified in accordance with paragraph (3)(b), to reckon a total of 35 years' pensionable service as at the date so specified.
(5) A pension debit member may not replace any rights debited to that officer as a consequence of a pension sharing order with any rights which that officer would not have been able to acquire (in addition to the debited rights) had the order not been made.