Pay rise welcomed

22 July 2020

Derbyshire Police Federation chair Tony Wetton has welcomed the 2.5 per cent pay award for police officers as ‘a step in the right direction’.

But Tony said there was still a long way to go to repair the damage to police pay after years of below-inflation salary increases.

“This pay award is a step in the right direction,” Tony said. “We know that the country is facing financial pressures because of the pandemic and set against that backdrop it’s a welcome increase.

“Over the austerity years, we’ve seen officers’ pay actually reduced by 18 per cent in real terms, so while this is the first step towards putting that right there is still a long way to go.

“Our members can be assured that the Federation will continue to fight for more substantial pay increases for members in the future.”

Tony welcomed the fact the Government had accepted in full the recommendations of the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB).

“It’s positive to see the Government abiding by proper process and accepting all the recommendations of the PRRB,” he said. “This hasn’t always been the case.

“Police officers need to be paid fairly for the unique role they play in society. As we’ve seen during the pandemic, they put their lives on the line, every day to serve our communities and protect the vulnerable,” he added.

Tony’s comments were echoed by John Apter, the national chair of the Police Federation. He said: “With the economic vulnerability we face as a country, many colleagues will be relieved to receive a 2.5 per cent pay increase - anything lower would have been completely unacceptable.”

The wage rise applies across the ranks and comes into effect from 1 September 2020.

The Government also announced: 

• London Weighting and the dog handlers’ allowance would increase by 2.5 per cent too
• The lowest point on the sergeants’ pay scale would be removed
• The maximum rate of London Allowance would increase by £1,000 to £5,338 a year for officers appointed on or after 1 September 1994 and not receiving replacement allowance.

In February, the Police Federation and the Police Superintendents’ Association made a joint submission to the PRRB and called for a five per cent pay rise across the ranks.