Pay recommendation falls well short of restoration, says branch chair

20 March 2025

The recommendation of a 3.8 per cent pay award for police officers this year ‘falls short of expectations’, says Derbyshire Federation chair Keith Chambers.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) has called for a pay uplift of 3.8 per cent for officers in its submission to the Police Remuneration Review Board (PRRB).

Staff associations for chief officers and superintendents and chief superintendents, meanwhile, have recommended a pay uplift of 4.8 per cent.

Keith said the proposal would still leave police officer pay short of where it was pre-austerity.

Branch chair Keith Chambers.

He said: “The announcement falls short of expectations to level up police pay that has been diminished over the years.

“This has amounted to a real-term cut to the pay of rank and file police officers of 16 per cent over the past decade and more, which still needs addressing.”

The PRRB oversees the current pay mechanism. It was set up in 2014 to provide an independent, evidence-based approach to determining pay and conditions for police officers.

Fair pay

The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) withdrew from the process in July 2021, after its recommendations were again disregarded by the Government.

PFEW has been calling for a truly independent body to consider officer pay as part of its Fair Pay Campaign.

Indeed, last year, members voted in favour of PFEW campaigning for a fair process of collective bargaining and negotiation to be established with the Government when determining police officer pay.

Keith said there needed to be a discussion in the Federation about rejoining the PRRB.

He said: “I absolutely understand why we as a Federation withdrew from the PRRB.

“We continuously received derisory increases that clearly did not reflect the profession, nor the challenges of modern-day policing.

PRRB

“However, I feel now is the time to have a conversation about re-entering the process.

“The PRRB should be free from political interference, something that clearly has not always been the case, and we have a new government involved in the process.”

The NPCC said it believes its recommendations will help with the recruitment and retention of officers.

It said the recommendations also include wider officer pay structure reform and outline the importance of making policing a competitive career through better pay for all officers.

The NPCC has also stressed the importance of adequate funding for all forces to cover any increase.

Keith added: “I welcome the recommendation that our colleagues joining the service should have a higher starting salary.

“This would be very welcome at a time when we seek to attract and retain officers.

Police chiefs

“And it’s vital that adequate funding is put in place for cover any pay rises. Police chiefs are already having to make difficult decisions about their budgets and it would be counterproductive if they had to make even more cuts to fund our pay settlement.”

Assistant Chief Officer Philip Wells at Bedfordshire Police is the NPCC lead for pay and conditions.

He said: “Below market starting salaries for constables and real-term pay cuts for officers poses a significant challenge to attracting and retaining talented police officers.

“To deliver against the Government’s Safer Streets Mission and Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee we need to recruit, build and retain skills, attracting those people with the aptitude but also values and standards we need in policing.

“Our recommendations recognise the significant financial pressure facing both forces and government, whilst advocating for the critical need for a funded uplift in officer pay which reflects the incredibly challenging nature of the job.”

Download the NPCC submission.