16 February 2022

Pay and Morale Survey: 94% of Dorset Police officers do not feel respected by the Government

“It is a sad reflection of the state of Policing that such an overwhelming majority of officers feel they are not supported by the Government.”

A huge 94% of Dorset Police officers say they do not currently feel respected by the Government with 43% worrying about their finances every day.

The new figures from the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) 2021 Pay and Morale Survey come after 12 years of pay caps and pay freezes for the police.

76% of respondents from Dorset Police felt that they were worse off financially than they were five years ago and 11% of respondents reported never or almost never having enough money to cover all their essentials.

The negative impact of the Government’s treatment towards police officers and police pay is clear from the survey – 86% of respondents from Dorset Police felt that morale within Dorset is currently low.

And 64% of respondents from Dorset Police said that over the last 12 months, their workload has been too high or much too high.

Last year police officers across England and Wales were given a 0% pay rise. Household bills are rising sharply and National Insurance is going up in April. Over the past 10 years police officer pay has fallen in real terms by 18%.

So it comes as no surprise that 76% of the 163 respondents from Dorset Police said that they are dissatisfied with their overall remuneration.

Meanwhile 69% of officers who responded said they would not recommend joining the police to others and 12% of respondents from Dorset Police said they had an intention to leave the police service either within the next 2 years or as soon as possible.

The Federation is urging MPs to support its campaign for a real-terms pay increase and a fair and independent mechanism to decide on police officer pay rises.

James Dimmack, Dorset Police Federation Chair, said: “It is a sad reflection of the state of Policing that such an overwhelming majority of officers feel they are not supported by the Government.

“The fact that nearly half of officers feel financially vulnerable is a significant concern. Officers everyday are exposed to a myriad of challenging and dangerous situations as part of their everyday jobs. Having undertaken this public service they should not then be facing the challenge of balancing the books in order to survive at home.

“Perhaps the most concerning statistic is that so many officers state that morale is low. We are forever being asked to do more with less. That being the case it is not surprising this startling percentage is apparent. What I can say is that despite this Dorset Police officers continue to make things work and are committed to serving the people of Dorset. This is clearly being done however with low morale and with a lack of appreciation from the Government.

“Good will is a precious commodity, however it is not finite. I urge our Government ministers not to rely on this and to invest properly to appropriately remunerate the brave officers they ask so much of.”