Pay and morale: let your views be known

31 August 2022

Derbyshire Police Federation is urging members to make their views clear in this year’s pay and morale survey.

This year’s survey is launched on Monday 5 September and aims to gain views from frontline officers on a range of key issues.

The results are then used to support Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) campaign for fairer pay and an independent pay mechanism.

The findings will also enable the Federation to highlight areas where change is needed and support its drive to improve working conditions for officers.

And for the first time, this year’s survey will also gather evidence on demand, capacity and welfare issues to give the Government, key stakeholders and members of the public a comprehensive insight into the realities of policing.

Derbyshire branch chair Tony Wetton said: “The pay and morale survey is really important and comes at a time when officers are facing spiralling energy bills, rising food costs and increases in interest rates.

“It’s vital that we understand the feelings of our brave men and women on the frontline so that we can best represent you – please make your views known.”

“This year’s survey is particularly important for us given that last year Derbyshire officers collectively disclosed the worst results in the country in terms of their own personal morale and also of the general morale in the Force. 

“We as a Federation have been working hard with the Force to address some of the issues that we think were behind those results and it’s important to see if and how that has affected the morale of Derbyshire officers.  Hopefully some of the benefits of Op Resolve are getting through and being felt by frontline officers. 

“Although the pay rise for 2022 was disappointing, it was a step forward in terms of the Government accepting in full the recommendations of the pay review body.  The results of this survey are invaluable in informing PFEW’s position and strategy in terms of fighting for fair pay and conditions for police officers.

“This year more than ever it’s so important that we all take the opportunity to say how we all feel about the job.  I hope that every Derbyshire constable, sergeant, inspector and chief inspector gives their views this year and we get a genuine picture of how morale is in the Force.”

National Federation chair Steve Hartshorn said: ““Survey fatigue is understandable, this is why we’ve taken measures to amalgamate the pay and conditions surveys, but your opinion matters to us, and by taking the time to fill in this year’s pay and morale survey, you can help us make a difference and fight for what you need, because together our voices are stronger and more impactful.”

The survey is conducted by PFEW’s in-house research department and is the only consistent national survey that represents members’ attitudes to pay and conditions.