Greater Manchester Police Federation reacts to General Election result

8 July 2024

“My message to the newly elected Labour Government is simple: one of your top priorities must be policing.”

Mike Peake, Chair of Greater Manchester Police Federation, said this meant that the Government must address police pay, funding and recruitment.

He said: “If Greater Manchester Police and other police forces are to attract and retain quality people, this year’s police pay award must be a significant one and it must be implemented on 1 September.

“The responsibilities and risks that police officers carry daily are not reflected in their current pay and allowances. In a recent survey, 22% of GMP officers said they never or almost never have enough money to cover all their essentials, and 16% said that they intended to leave policing as soon as they can or within the next two years.

“The current police funding formula also needs a drastic overhaul so that large forces like GMP, which is the second largest in the country, get a bigger injection of cash in their budgets.”

In the Labour manifesto, it said they would put 13,000 extra neighbourhood police and PCSOs on the streets. Mike urged them to keep that promise, saying it would “make a real difference”.

He said: “Officers in GMP are fantastic and they’re working flat-out to keep the communities of Greater Manchester safe. However, there is a danger of burnout and fatigue. Being able to recruit many more police officers would make a real difference – they’d not only alleviate the existing daily pressures, but also allow GMP to continue to improve on the quality of service it provides to the public.”