Greater Manchester Police Pay and Morale Report

10 April 2024

86% of Greater Manchester Police officers feel ‘worse off’ financially now than they were five years ago and 22% ‘never’ or ‘almost never’ have enough money to cover all their essentials.

According to the 2023 Police Federation of England and Wales Pay and Morale Report – published today - 93% of respondents have seen living cost increases in the previous month and 80% of officers are dissatisfied with their pay.

Worryingly, 16% of Greater Manchester Police officers who responded to the survey said they intend to resign from the police service either ‘within the next two years’ or ‘as soon as [they] can’.

Whilst Police Officers received a 7% pay rise in 2023, they have still seen an incredible 16% real-terms pay cut over the past 12 years. 

Police chiefs have pointed out that the high cost of living in the UK is placing an even bigger strain on officers, as well as hampering recruitment. They have asked the Government for officers to receive a 6% pay rise in 2024. 

Officers are also struggling with low morale and lack of support, the survey found. 92% of officers said they do not feel respected by the Government, and 57% said they were experiencing low morale.

73% of respondents from Greater Manchester Police said that they would not recommend joining the police to others. 73% said they do not feel valued within the service.

Mike Peake, Chair of Greater Manchester Police Federation, said: “It is time for the Government to wake up and smell the roses as they are in real danger of creating the biggest ‘Police Farce’ in the history of this country.

“The results of the recent Police Federation of England and Wales survey paint a very stark picture in the battle against crime and keeping the communities of Greater Manchester safe.

“89% of officers from Greater Manchester Police who responded to the survey felt that morale within the force is currently ‘low’ or ‘very low’, with over 70% of officers feeling unsupported by the Government and that over the last 12 months, their workload has been too high.

“Officers in GMP feel that mental health and wellbeing is poor with 16% saying that they intend to leave policing within the next 2 years.

“Around 80% of officers in GMP feel that they are ‘dissatisfied’ with their overall remuneration. The majority of officer have seen their cost-of-living skyrocket over recent years, and when you balance the stresses and risks that being a police officer brings, the current falling behind pay is no longer attractive. Over 22% of GMP officers never have enough money to cover their essentials.

“The current focus seems to be on how to expose mistakes being made by officers, yet the vast majority of officers in GMP do an amazing job working flat out to do the best they can. It would be vastly unfair to have an expectation of perfection. The focus should be on rewarding the hard work carried out each day, as demand constantly outweighs resources. 73% of respondents from Greater Manchester Police said that they would not recommend joining the police to others.

“Come on Government, recognise how stretched police officers are, which is the real danger in policing and financially award them appropriately. Right now, it is the only way to retain the necessary number of police officers that will keep our communities safe.”

Officers are coming under attack from the public too, the report showed, with 18% having suffered one or more injuries that required medical attention as a result of work-related violence in the last year.

Only 13% of officers who responded reported having access to double crewing at all times whilst on duty.

74% of respondents from Greater Manchester Police said that over the last 12 months, their workload has been ‘too high’ or ‘much too high’. 9% of officers said that they have ‘never’ or ‘rarely’ been able to take an 11-hour break between shifts in the last 12 months and 39% said they feel ‘always’ or ‘often’ feel pressured into working long hours.

Sadly, 85% of respondents from Greater Manchester Police indicated that they had experienced feelings of stress, low mood, anxiety, or other difficulties with their health and wellbeing over the last 12 months, and 51% said that they find their job ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ stressful.

The survey is based on 1,446 responses received from Greater Manchester Police officers.