Cleveland Police officers urged to have their say on Pay and Morale

2 October 2024

Cleveland Police officers have until Monday 28 October to get their voices heard in the Federation’s 2024 Pay and Morale Survey.

As well as pay and morale, the survey covers areas such as mental health, wellbeing, demand and annual leave. The findings help the Federation provide evidence to support its ongoing national pay campaign and push for improving working conditions.

This year it contains three extra, topical, questions: ‘What unique aspects of policing should be considered when police pay is being reviewed?’; ‘Given the recent unrest across the UK, how safe and supported did you feel while on duty?’ and ‘Does social media have an impact on the way you are able to perform your role?’.

Cleveland Police Federation Chair Paul Crowley said: “The Pay and Morale Survey is really important. We need as many people as possible to complete the survey so that we have a clear picture of the issues officers are facing.

“Ultimately, the figures that come out of the Police and Morale Survey are what we, and local MPs, will use as our ammunition to drive change in the right places, at the right time.”

Paul said he would take the results to the Chief Constable and encourage him to listen to what officers are saying.

He said: “It’s a great indicator of where we’re at. The force are able to see whether any of the changes they’ve made have had a positive impact, or perhaps a negative impact.

“That helps them decide whether those initiatives need to continue or whether they need more backing behind them, to be able to drive them forward. It makes sure that officers’ opinions are being looked at and their voices are being heard.”

Paul said he was pleased the additional questions were being asked, particularly about the unrest over the summer, which Cleveland officers had been “on the sharp end of”.

He said: “We were at the sharp end of the disorder, we faced large scale disorder in multiple areas. But I think the morale among officers is getting back to some kind of relative normality.

“There has been some camaraderie off the back of the disorder, as much as officers shared a common goal to bring our streets back to a state of normality, and that has had a positive impact on how officers are working collaboratively.

“But morale itself in policing is generally low. Police officers are overworked, they’re underpaid, they deserve more recognition.

“I think officers deserve more recognition for the impact the disorder had on them. We had many officers who were injured as a result of it and we’re still seeing those injuries manifesting themselves, not just from a physical perspective but also from a psychological perspective of how stressful the disorder was.”