`Undervalued and despondent` watchwords for low-morale and pay, says record-breaking PFEW officer survey
Only one in ten officers consider they receive a “fair day`s pay” for the stresses, strains and hazards of today`s job in the biggest indicator of confidence in modern policing history.
Oct 27, 2016
By Nick Hudson
Only one in ten officers consider they receive a “fair day`s pay” for the stresses, strains and hazards of today`s job in the biggest indicator of confidence in modern policing history.
The findings from the latest litmus test for the rank-and-file shows the way police are treated is the largest contributor to why more than half the officers suffer from low morale.
The record-breaking response from the annual Pay and Morale Survey undertaken by the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) revealed an over-riding feeling that the “negative voices” of the public`s perception of the service leave officers feeling “undervalued and despondent”.
Even though those feelings translate into more than two thirds of responding officers recommending NOT joining the service that figure was three times better than in 2015 when only one in ten felt they could make a similar gesture to recommend the job to other people.
Ironically, this year`s survey of 43,000 officers in England and Wales more than a third of all federated ranks posted the best result for “personal morale” in three years, down from the 2014 dissatisfaction peak of 70 per cent to less than 56 per cent.
Last year the same poll recorded 59 per cent. Results showed that more than half of respondents (55.9 per cent) said their own morale was low and cited the way police as a whole are treated (84.2 per cent), pay and benefits, including pensions, (70.9 per cent), and work-life balance (58.2 per cent) as key reasons for this.
The PFEW survey also found:
61 per cent officers are proud to be in the service;
67.3 per cent of officers did not feel valued ;
69.9 per cent of officers would not recommend joining the service; and
75.8 per cent of officers did not apply for a promotion last year.
The main reasons were that only a third (33.4 per cent) enjoy their current role; even less (27.9 per cent) are happy at their rank; just over a quarter believe it would not be worth the extra responsibilities and pressures (26.8 per cent); and a similar number (26.7 per cent) see little point as there are no positions available.
PFEW Chair Steve White said: We know that the majority of the British public understand the difficulties and challenges our members face on a daily basis and are grateful for the work we do.
“Unfortunately, the negative voices tend to be the ones we hear the most, which can leave officers feeling undervalued and despondent, as this survey shows.
Millions of people have encouraging and valuable interactions with police officers in their communities, and we want them to speak up. Our #BelieveinBlue campaign is one way to tell officers, and the wider public how they value what police do.
The survey clearly showed that most officers are dissatisfied with their level of pay, given the arduous nature of their daily job.
Six out of ten of respondents felt dissatisfied with their level of pay; nearly nine in ten (89 per cent) said they were unfairly paid considering the stress and strains of the job, and 84 per cent felt their pay was unfair given the hazards they faced on the job.
The survey results will be used as evidence in PFEWs submission to the Police Remuneration Review Body at the end of the year.
Mr White added: What is deeply worrying is that whilst the majority of respondents are proud to be in the police, more than two thirds would not recommend joining.
Yes, the job is tough and demanding but its also never-ending. With budgets cuts have come fewer officers, diminished resources and increasing crime; our members a