Public safety at risk as poor pay drives away experienced officers, Federation warns
The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) has warned that recommending another real-terms pay cut for officers would accelerate the loss of experienced frontline policing and place public safety at genuine risk.
In its report to the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB), the Federation is calling for a minimum seven per cent annual pay award for the next three years, a reset it says is essential to halt a downward spiral in retention, morale and operational capability.
The warning comes after:
- The Government’s remit letter to the PRRB made clear that recommendations must reflect affordability within existing funding settlements; and
- The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) indicated it would support a 3.5 per cent award only if fully funded, falling to 2.5 per cent if it is not.
The PFEW warns that presenting a real-terms pay cut for more than 145,000 officers as “fair” cements decline into the police service, with direct consequences for retention, supervision and public safety.
It said nearly half of all constables now have five years’ service or less. In some forces, probationers are training probationers. One in four officers is considering leaving. Officers are assaulted every ten minutes and around 30 are injured every day.
PFEW National Secretary John Partington said: “If affordability within existing budgets becomes the ceiling for police pay, we are guaranteeing a broken service. It is neither fair to officers nor affordable to the public who pay the cost in crime and reduced safety. A properly independent review body must determine what resources proper policing really needs, not simply how much more blood can be squeezed from the stone.
He added that it was “disappointing” that the NPCC had shown it was ready to accept such a low settlement.
“Officers will be putting their health and their lives on the line this weekend knowing their chiefs are recommending what is in effect a real-terms pay cut,” Mr Partington said. “Chief constables should be honest with the people they are supposed to lead: they are endorsing another reduction in officers’ living standards, one which has obvious and severe consequences.
“You cannot demand more courage, more resilience and more personal risk while steadily reducing the value of the job. Brave and dedicated men and women are leaving policing in record numbers because it no longer pays enough to justify the cost to them and their families.”
Alongside its pay claim, the Federation is calling for structural reform of police remuneration, including introduction of a military-style ‘P Factor’ recognising the unique risks, restrictions and psychological trauma inherent in policing.
Evidence submitted to the PRRB shows:
- Almost half of all constables have five years’ service or less;
- Mental health-related sickness absence is at record levels; and
- Assaults on officers remain persistently high.