Three quarters of officers dissatisfied with pay

18 November 2019

Three quarters of Derbyshire officers who responded to the Police Federation’s annual pay and morale survey said they are dissatisfied with their overall pay package.

A total of 88 per cent of Derbyshire respondents said they did not feel they were fairly paid for the stresses and strains of their job with 81 per cent saying they did not feel fairly paid for the hazards of their role.

A shocking 40 per cent said they worried about the state of their personal finances either daily or almost every day, with 70 per cent revealing they felt they were worse off financially than they were five years ago and eight per cent reporting never or almost never having enough money to cover essentials.

“Officers join the police service to serve their communities and often put themselves in harm’s way to serve the public,” says Tony Wetton, chair of Derbyshire Police Federation.

“I think at the very least, police officers should receive a basic pay and allowances package that reflects the role they play in society and the dangers they face as part of their role.

“It seems wrong to me that so many of our members are admitting they are struggling to make ends meet and I hope the Government and other decision-makers take on board the findings of this survey.”

The survey also revealed that 73 per cent of Derbyshire respondents felt morale within the Force is currently low (compared to 87 per cent nationally), with 48 per cent saying their own morale is currently low, the 11^th lowest in the country with the national figure being 57 per cent.

The reasons given by Derbyshire officers for low morale were how the police are treated as a whole (77 per cent), pay and benefits (76 per cent), management of change within the police (67 per cent), workload and responsibilities and health and wellbeing (both 53 per cent), work-life balance (49 per cent), opportunities for development and promotion (43 per cent), day to day job role (40 per cent) and treatment by senior managers (31 per cent).

The Derbyshire members’ responses also reveal that 62 per cent would not recommend joining the police service to others and one in 10 intended to leave policing within the next two years or as soon as possible.

Morale was cited as the main reason for wanting to leave (75 per cent) with pay and benefits and the impact of the job on health and wellbeing being given as the key factor for 69 per cent of respondents and how the police as a whole are treated for 66 per cent.

The pay and morale survey is carried out by the Police Federation of England and Wales each year with the responses being used to provide evidence in its negotiations with the Government, forces and other stakeholders.

A total of 425 responses were received from Derbyshire Police Federation members this year, a response rate of 24 per cent compared to a national response rate of 16 per cent.

The survey opened on 10 June this year and closed on 30 August.

Read the survey report.