10 February 2020

2020 Pay Submission: “Our colleagues have endured an 18% pay cut over the past decade. Our officers should be paid and remunerated fairly for the rigours of their job.”

“Our colleagues have endured an 18% pay cut over the past decade. Our officers should be paid and remunerated fairly for the rigours of their job.”

The 2020 police officer pay rise submission has been made – with the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) calling for a 5% pay rise for all police officers.

It is also asking for a minimum starting salary of £24,177 for new recruits.

Other submissions to the Police Remuneration Review Body include:

- The removal of the lowest two pay points for Constables, to facilitate recruitment;
- The shortening of the Constables’ and Sergeants’ pay scales;
- The introduction of new top pay scale points for all ranks, to incentivise retention;
- An increase in location and dog-handler’s allowance - and that both London and South East Allowances should be increased to be 150% of their current values.

Ian Roe, Secretary of Dorset Police Federation, said: “A significant pay rise for our colleagues is much needed. Police officer pay has fallen behind due to 10 years of pay freezes and pay rises below the rate of inflation.

“Essentially our colleagues have endured an 18% pay cut over the past decade. Our officers should be paid and remunerated fairly for the rigours of their job.”

Ian added: “The Police Federation of England and Wales Pay and Morale survey at the back end of last year showed that 86% of Dorset Police officers do not feel that they are fairly paid for the stresses and strains of being a police officer. Something needs to be done – and a 5% pay rise would be a good start in the right direction.”

Ian has highlighted previously how many officers are now reliant on overtime to keep their finances in order.

Ian added: “Over the past six months Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel have spoken in glowing terms about the work of our police officers – and rightly so. But platitudes do not pay the bills. They need to put their money where their mouths are.”

All sides – Home Office, Chief Officers, Staff Associations - submit their recommendations to the independent PRRB who then submit a paper/recommendation to the Home Secretary Priti Patel who has a final decision on the pay rise for 2020, usually made in the summer.

It usually kicks in in September. Last year - the PRRB recommended 2.5% for officers, which was accepted/implemented by the Home Secretary in full.

John Apter, Chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: "This comes on the back of 10 years of austerity measures which has seen police officer’s pay either frozen or capped, like many other public sector workers at 1%.

"So a new recruit might be starting now on £18,500. Now, if that stays as it is that means that police officers, who many politicians proclaim to be the bravest in the world and are doing fantastic, great stuff, well that means that those officers are on 15p an hour more than the living wage.

"That is completely unacceptable. So we’re calling for an increase for starting pay which will take them to over £24,000, to recognise the role that they carry out and the dangers that they face, but also an overall pay rise of 5%.

"It doesn’t even fill the gap of the, in real terms, 18% cut in pay that police officers have seen over the past 10 years. But our submission is based on evidence and we think it’s realistic, and the Government must listen.

"If the Government want to retain police officers, if they want to recruit police officers, then they have to pay them fairly. It’s no good standing on the step of Parliament proclaiming how fantastic they are when they don’t give them the pay they deserve."

More on the submission here
https://www.polfed.org/…/police-officers-do-a-unique-job-t…/