This pay announcement is a necessary and deserved increase for our hard working members, says Fed Chair

22 July 2019

The Home Office announced today (22 July) that it will accept in full the recommendations of the Police Pay and Remuneration Body (PRRB) and award police officers a 2.5% pay rise in 2019.

This is the first time in three years the PRRB’s recommendation has been implemented in full.

But GMP Federation Chairman Stu Berry said the Government must clarify whether the rise is to be found in existing police budgets, which are already stretched.

He said: “This pay announcement is a necessary and deserved increase for our hard working members but the decision to accept the PRRB recommendations should be certainty rather than a gift.

“However, it is only a small concession from a Government that has steadily reduced pay within policing and the wider public sector for many years.

“The Government must clarify the source of this funding. It would be disingenuous to state overall funding has been increased if it must be found within existing budgets.

“The Government will simply move the same pieces around the same board if that is the case. Short-term headlines will not resolve the issues for my members or the public we serve.

“There needs to be much more work to redress the derisory on-call payment increase to reflect the detriment to officers’ work/life balance.”

There is also a 2.5% rise in both the dog handlers’ allowance and London weighting. However, there is no change for apprentice and degree holder progression pay, which means those joining the service will continue to receive the current incremental pay rises through their probationary period.

The pay rises will come into effect on 1 September.

PFEW Chairman John Apter said the Government must now ensure police officers’ pay continues to increase after nine years of pay freezes and pay caps.

He added: “While this pay award represents the highest received since 2010 it is not what we and the Police Superintendents’ Association jointly asked for - however it is better than the derisory rise our members were given last year.

“And it is positive to see the Government abiding by proper process and accepting all the recommendations of the PRRB which it has failed to do for the past two years. But this must be just the start of getting police officers pay back to the level it should be.”