Superintendents join chief officers in urging government to drive ‘critical funds’ into policing

In its submission to the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB), the PSA, which represents senior operational police officers, repeated its call for a long-term funding strategy for the service. It asks government to centrally fund policing to enable it to deliver on national mandates, and to recommend a pay award above inflation, for every rank, which recognises the year-on-year pay cuts that have been experienced by police.

The submission sets out a number of recommendations, in partnership with the Superintendents’ Association of Northern Ireland (SANI), each based on data and evidence, including that taken from extensive consultation with members via its yearly pay survey.

For the third consecutive year, the PSA has also joined with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the Chief Police Officers’ Staff Association (CPOSA) in a joint statement outlining shared concerns over the financial challenges and instability facing police forces, the difficulty recruiting and retaining staff, and the unique nature of policing which deserves appropriate pay and recognition.

The joint submission to the PRRB and the Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) says there’s a “critical need” for an uplift in officer pay which reflects the “incredibly challenging nature of the job”.

The NPCC recommends an annual pay uplift of 3.8 per cent from September 2025 with funding provided centrally over two per cent, while the PSA and CPOSA recommend a pay uplift of 4.8 per cent, with uplifts in a number of allowances, many of which have not been reviewed for a considerable time.

The submission says these changes together will help with the recruitment and retention of officers and in turn support the Government’s Safer Streets Mission, Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee and its focus on reducing knife crime, anti-social behaviour and violence against women and girls (see https://policeprofessional.com/news/better-pay-crucial-to-recruiting-more-officers/)

The PSA has been a strong advocate for pay reform in policing for years, repeatedly evidencing the deterioration of police officer pay, and highlighting the imbalance between pay awards made to other public sector services, which do not face the same lack of rights as police when it comes to contesting pay.

It says the submission evidences the fact that police officer pay remains below what is was, in real-terms, in 2010, the financial deficit facing the entire service, and the impact that issues linked to pay and reward, pensions and demand, have on the wellbeing of police officers and their families.

It also draws on independent reports which show that police officers, in contrast to other areas of the public sector, have seen their pay deteriorate more for those lower down the pay scale, highlighting the significant impact this will have on recruitment and retention.

PSA data shows that almost all (96 per cent) of members surveyed take on on-call duties in addition to their day-to-day role, sometimes working the equivalent of 24 hour days, often consecutive days at a time.

Feedback from the survey reflects the significant “negative impact” this has on the wellbeing and morale of officers and their families. The PSA submission details this, along with a call for fair financial recompense to acknowledge this.

PSA National Secretary Warren Franklin said: “Once again, on behalf of our members and the wider workforce, we have asked the PRRB to consider fact, evidence and fairness when it comes to decisions around police officer pay.

“Perhaps more than any other year, 2024 showed us the critical need for a well-resourced, well trained, and motivated workforce, when police officers mobilised to respond to the summer disorder and riots. This is just one example of where the critical need for a Service that can deliver in emergency situations, whilst managing daily complex, rising demand, is crucial.

“Police officers do a job like no other, and along with prison officers are unique in their employment rights, with no ability to negotiate, to withhold labour or to strike when it is clear that they are being treated unfairly. This is why it is so important for us to speak on behalf of our members and their colleagues via the PRRB, the only mechanism through which we can present evidence, and to paint the very clear picture of a workforce that needs to be valued for the incredible work it delivers.

“Our members and their colleagues carry out difficult jobs, in challenging situations, often working incredibly long hours. They do not feel valued and we can understand why when we look at the history of pay decisions.

“Joining with our colleagues at the NPCC and CPOSA in a joint statement, is a clear reflection of the shared feeling across the service for change. Policing is not sufficiently funded to deliver on the expectations of government, and at times struggles to give communities the policing they deserve. This must change.

“A long-term strategy based on today’s demand is critical, alongside a pay award for police officers that recognises the unique and vital role they play in society.”

The PSA/SANI recommendations include:

• A fully funded, above inflation pay award that is applied equally across all ranks. The PSA and SANI request a 4.8 per cent settlement – a one per cent addition to the 3.8 per cent proposed by the NPCC, as in 2024 police were awarded 0.75-1.25 per cent less on average than other public sector bodies. The 4.8 per cent recommendation is due to historical below inflation pay awards since 2010 as recognised with the Institute of Fiscal Studies report;
• A longer-term strategy linked to a future multiyear settlement aligned to the next CSR that continues to reduce the real term pay cuts;
• An increase in 24-hour on call allowance, which would rightly recognise and reward those officers who are committing to manage the highest risk in the service, in addition to their daily duties and responsibilities – 96.4 per cent of PSA members do not feel adequately rewarded for this duty; and
• Recognition, support and assistance for those impacted by pension remedy.

The full PRRB submission can be found on the PSA website: policesupers.com/news/superintendents-join-with-chief-officers-in-urging-government-to-drive-critical-funds-into-policing