Police officers are £1,000s worse off than they were 10 years ago as a result of wages failing to keep pace with prices.
4 January 2022
Police officers are £1,000s worse off than they were 10 years ago as a result of wages failing to keep pace with prices.
Sgts/PCs inflation-adjusted pay is £5,595 a year lower than a decade ago, according to a TUC report.
Paul Williams, Chair of Cumbria Police Federation, said: “This research is a demonstration of the point we’ve been making for years now and the reason why we have pulled away from the Government dictated non independent pay review body and are demanding fair play.
“Pressure has gone up in our job without doubt.
“Risk has increased and the pandemic which is still very much here is causing huge strain on all public services and we’re still expected to go out there 24/7 and perform the role for much less reward. This has to stop it cannot go on.
“When you cut pay to such an extent in such a high pressure role expect consequences: expect morale to plunge, mental health and stress to suffer due to cost of living and cops will eventually burn out or leave and there we have it… the public, the tax payers who are paying for a service will suffer.
“There is real and significant risk here and it’s about time the Government woke up and stopped dismissing this issue. The lack of engagement from them around this subject is contemptuous. The evidence is there it can’t be ignored yet all I see is ignorance.
“This real time pay cut shows we are getting less for doing more. Our members are going out there putting themselves at risk, giving 100% and that needs real time compensation for those sacrifices.”
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