Chair seeking open and honest dialogue with Government

11 April 2022

Collectively Federation members can make their voices heard to secure a better deal for policing on pay, according to the new national chair.

Steve Hartshorn, who took over as the new chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) on 1 April following an election among the membership nationwide, says he wants open and honest dialogue with the Government to achieve tangible and positive results.

He said: “My priority is to continue to build on the important steps we have taken in pushing for improved pay for police officers, as well as improving all their working terms and conditions of service.

“I will continue to apply whatever pressure is necessary on the Government. Historically governments have recognised the restrictions placed on police officers and were committed to ensuring they would suffer no detriment in terms of pay and conditions. Sadly, that no longer appears to be the case.  That deal has been reneged on, but there is an opportunity now to put that right.  

“My door is open to the Government to have these vital discussions, and to have a relationship where there is mutual respect. I want open and honest dialogue where we can ask the difficult questions that our members need to hear the answers to. Most importantly, I want to achieve tangible and positive results for police officers in England and Wales.”

In July 2021, the Federation withdrew from the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) after its recommendations were again disregarded by the Government and leading to officers having no pay uplift despite their efforts and the challenges they faced during the pandemic.

Last month, the Federation launched an application for Judicial Review calling for a truly independent pay mechanism for police officers. This application was made alongside the Chief Police Officers’ Staff Association (CPOSA) and the Police Superintendents’ Association (PSA).

Steve explained: “Our members have suffered a 20 per cent real-terms cut in their pay since 2010 and this will increase further with costs of living increasing substantially.

“The current pay mechanism is not fit for purpose so we will continue to fight on behalf of police officers in England and Wales. We need independent pay machinery, and we need government to honour in full the recommendations of the pay review body.”

Steve has also revealed that Chancellor Rishi Sunak MP had at last responded to a letter sent by the Federation highlighting the need for independent pay machinery and calling for a pay rise for police officers.