The final insult

Protocols and policies, the refuge of the jobsworth when faced with criticism over something they've done which flies in the face of common sense and compassion. Excuses will be offered and occasionally an apology, sometimes compensation and the platitude that "lessons will be learned." Usually far too late.
Express.

A SOLDIER killed in Afghanistan had £433 deducted from his final pay because he had failed to complete “a full month’s” work.
Lance Corporal Jordan Bancroft, 25, was shot dead in Helmand province in August 2010. More than year later, as the Ministry of Defence finally settled his outstanding wages, £433.13 was deducted because he had died 10 days before pay day.
Yesterday his father Tony, 47, called the action “a disgrace”, adding: “It’s a massive slap in the face for us and especially Jordan, who laid down his life for his country. I had to read the letter a good few times to take it in. It seems £433.13 is all his life is worth to them.”
Taxi driver Mr Bancroft, from Earby, Lancs, and his family had raised £10,000 for his son’s regiment and £6,000 for the Help For Heroes charity.
He said: “It’s not the amount they’ve taken that upsets me because it’s not about the money, it’s the principle. We’ve raised a lot of money for his regiment and yet the MoD have no qualms about taking £400 from us. The regiment has been great; it’s the MoD who have done this.”

It will be a written policy somewhere that will have been followed to the letter, chances are the person doing it wont have even known who Jordan Bancroft was yet the utter lack of compassion is not fitting for someone who died whilst serving their country. I'm even sure the MOD could point out hundreds of cases where something similar has been done without complaint from people too stunned and grieving over their loss to challenge the MOD's complete lack of compassion. This can also be seen in its attempts to cut costs by removing £250 million from Servicemen’s allowances for serving in non hostile areas overseas.or between postings yet failed to sort out the massive overspending on contract renegotiation for necessary equipment.
The treatment of our armed forces is a disgrace and this is frankly a PR disaster for the MOD, though again I expect some sort of apology, lessons will be learned etc then business as usual. Perhaps those who make this sort of decision should be given a rifle themselves and sent to Afghanistan to serve, pour encourager les autres...
One way of bucking their ideas up.