Branch chair reacts as PFEW submit officer pay recommendations

17 March 2026

Gwent Police Federation chair Matthew Candy has echoed calls for the Government to demonstrate its support for policing by accepting proposals to restore officer pay.

The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) has submitted its latest report to the Police Review Body (PRRB).

In the report, the PFEW has recommended a minimum seven per cent annual pay award for the next three years.

If accepted, this would help to correct the gradual degradation of officer earnings over the last 15 years, which has seen them suffer a real-terms pay cut of more than 20 per cent.

Retention

According to PFEW, the proposed pay award could also go a long way to halting the ‘downward spiral’ of officer morale, retention and operational capability, which it argued was having ‘direct consequences’ on public safety.

The submission to the PRRB comes after:

• The Government’s remit letter to the PRRB made clear that recommendations must reflect affordability within existing funding settlements; and

• The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) indicated it would support a 3.5 per cent award only if fully funded, falling to 2.5 per cent if it is not.

Commenting after the report was finalised, Matthew said: “I see this recommendation as a vital and much-needed move towards addressing the long-term erosion of police pay, but it must now be backed by a genuine willingness from the Government to make things better for officers.

“As representatives of our members, we are clear about what they deserve: fair reward for doing a job which requires sacrifice and dedication like no other. This is something which has been missing for a long time, and it has unfortunately seen some talented officers feel like they have no choice but to turn their backs on the profession.

Proposal

“The result has been a retention crisis, leaving an already stretched workforce at breaking point, so any positive movement towards reversing this needs to come as soon as possible.

“I believe the Government accepting this proposal would represent that.”

Ahead of the report being finalised, Policing Minister Sarah Jones MP was heard in Parliament telling officers to ‘be in no doubt’ the Government was ‘on your side and will support you’ as she presented the Police Covenant annual report.

Matthew was in Westminster earlier this month with regional and national Federation colleagues for a briefing with MPs from across Wales on some of the issues facing policing.

 

 

And he said that now was the moment for decision makers to turn these words into action by agreeing to a restoration of fair pay.

“More real-terms cuts are simply not an option – we need to see things moving in the opposite direction, and the submission of this PFEW report provides the perfect opportunity for the Government to kickstart that," he continued.

“Statements can be encouraging, but we need these to be backed up by proper action and real proof of an allegiance to police officers and all they do for society.”

PFEW national secretary John Partington said: “If affordability within existing budgets becomes the ceiling for police pay, we are guaranteeing a broken service.

Review body

“It is neither fair to officers nor affordable to the public who pay the cost in crime and reduced safety.

“A properly independent review body must determine what resources proper policing really needs, not simply how much more blood can be squeezed from the stone.”

He also stated that it was disappointing that the NPCC had shown it was ready to accept such a low settlement.

 He added: “Officers will be putting their health and their lives on the line this weekend knowing their chiefs are recommending what is in effect a real-terms pay cut.

“Chief constables should be honest with the people they are supposed to lead: they are endorsing another reduction in officers’ living standards, one which has obvious and severe consequences.

Resilience

“You cannot demand more courage, more resilience and more personal risk while steadily reducing the value of the job.

“Brave and dedicated men and women are leaving policing in record numbers because it no longer pays enough to justify the cost to them and their families.”

In addition to a pay recommendation, the PFEW is also asking for structural reform of police remuneration, including the introduction of a military-style ‘P Factor’ recognising the unique risks, restrictions and psychological trauma inherent in policing.

 Evidence submitted to the PRRB shows:

• Almost half of all constables have five years’ service or less

• Mental health-related sickness absence is at record levels

• Assaults on officers remain persistently high

READ MORE: Chair attends productive Westminster meetings with Welsh MPs.