High workloads contribute to low morale within Dyfed Powys Police

10 April 2024

Almost three quarters of Dyfed Powys Police have felt their workload was ‘too high’ or ‘much too high’ during 2023, the findings of a national survey has revealed.

This figure (74 per cent) was higher than the national average of 64 per cent, and the 11th highest across all 43 forces in England and Wales according to the results of the Police Federation Pay and Morale Survey which was carried out over five weeks at the end of last year.

More than half (54 per cent) of Dyfed Powys respondents they ‘always’ or ‘often’ worked more than 48 hours per week over the previous 12 months, eight percentage point greater than the national return.

But, despite these findings, 74 per cent of Dyfed Powys officers said their overall physical health is ‘good’ or ‘very good’, compared to 69 per cent nationally, and 77 per cent indicated that they had experienced feelings of stress, low mood, anxiety or other difficulties with their health and wellbeing over the last 12 months, compared to 82 per cent nationally.

“While I am pleased to see that our officers’ physical health is better than many others across the country, it is quite alarming that more than three quarters of the officers who responded to this survey reported their health and wellbeing had been affected by their job,” says Ceris Davies, deputy secretary of Dyfed Powys Police Federation.

“The Police Uplift Programme, through which the Government recruited 20,000 officers nationwide, has, of course, brought in new officers to the Force. But we must remember this influx of new recruits has only taken us back to the numbers we had in 2010 when austerity measures brought huge cuts to policing budgets.

“Since 2010, the demands on policing and police officers have increased significantly and many colleagues are suffering as they struggle to juggle their workloads and provide an effective policing service for our communities.

“The new officers will help, but it will take many years before policing recovers from the years of reduced recruitment and under-investment in the police service.

“The pressures officers are under are only added to by the way officers feel they are treated by the Government and the fact that they do not feel their efforts are valued.

“The Government has to take the results of this survey seriously. It has to ensure that police officers are given levels of pay that reflect the unique demands and risks of their role, that the police service is properly funded and that everyone in policing knows they are going to be treated fairly by the Government.”

Ninety four per cent of officers from Dyfed Powys who completed the survey said that morale within the Force is currently low or very low, with more than half (55 per cent) saying their personal morale was low or very low.

The key reason they gave for their responses was the way the Government treated the police (93 per cent), the way the public treated the police (85 per cent), their overall remuneration including pay and allowances (75 per cent) and their workload and responsibilities (74 per cent).

In addition, more than nine out of ten (92 per cent) of respondents from Dyfed-Powys Police said they did not feel respected by the Government and more than two thirds (68 per cent) did not feel valued within the police.

More than two thirds (68 per cent) said that they would not recommend joining the police to others.

The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) Pay and Morale Survey obtains members’ views on their pay and conditions, as well as their attitudes to their work and the police service in general. It is one of the largest annual surveys of police officers conducted within England and Wales and has been conducted annually since 2014.

The survey launched on 6 November 2023 and closed on 11 December 2023. During this time, 330 responses were received from Dyfed-Powys Police Federation members, representing a response rate of around 25 per cent based on March 2023 Home Office figures of officer headcount.

Other findings from Dyfed Powys responses were:

• 90 per cent do not feel that they are paid fairly considering the stresses and strains of their job, with 86 per cent saying they are not fairly paid for the hazards they faced
• 72 per cent said they are ‘dissatisfied’ or ‘very dissatisfied’ with their overall remuneration including basic pay and allowances
• 41 per cent find their job ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ stressful
• 39 per cent had experienced verbal insults (swearing, shouting, abuse) at least once per week in the previous 12 months
• 36 per cent ‘always’ or ‘often’ feel pressured into working long hours over the same period
• Only 10 per cent reported having access to double crewing at all times while on duty.
  
  

Ceris concluded: “With a General Election this year, politicians of all parties would do well to read the results of this survey and consider what could be done to improve the working lives of police officers who give so much in serving their communities, fighting crime, keeping order and protecting the vulnerable.

“A good starting point would be the establishment of a truly independent pay review body which would restore officers’ faith in the pay award process.

“As a Federation, we will be meeting with our chief officers in the coming weeks to discuss the survey and try to address issues which could be improved locally.”

Read the full survey.