Federation releases findings of Leavers’ Survey

1 December 2021

The severe impact of poor morale, low pay, overwork and the lack of resources available to meet the demands of the job has been highlighted by a Police Federation survey of officers leaving the police service.

The Leavers’ Survey, compiled by the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) research department, polled 2,326 members between October 2017 and July 2021.

Of those who resigned, 59 per cent said the impact of the job on their psychological health had a major effect on their decision while a quarter of all respondents said workload was a factor.

Roughly a fifth of respondents said pension changes were a big factor in their decision to leave, while 19 per cent said the way pension changes had been implemented had a major effect on their decision to leave – especially amongst mid-career respondents.

The erosion of basic pay in recent years was also another contributing factor for many leaving early, with 30 per cent of those who resigned saying this was a major reason.

However, 28 per cent also said a better work-life balance would have made them reconsider their decision to leave, while improvements to welfare and work-life balance could have made approximately 40 per cent of respondents who resigned reconsider their decision.

Hertfordshire Police Federation chair Geoff Bardell said the findings of the survey came as no surprise.

He explained: “Low morale in the police service is a real problem that needs to be tackled and, as the survey highlights, it can have a massive impact on officer wellbeing.

“The Police Federation takes such issues incredibly seriously and we are always there for our members when they need us. But there is only so much we can do and low morale will only be addressed when action is taken on pay, conditions and workload and that has to be Government-led.

“Our members are not interested in broken promises and empty gestures from politicians, they want to see properly thought-out solutions to the problems faced by policing as the pressure on officers continues to grow.”

National Federation chair John Apter said the findings supported what he was being told by members.

He warned the issue of morale was having a massively detrimental impact on colleagues and called on the Government to take urgent action to address this.

John said: “It’s also about colleagues feeling valued – not just within the job by those who supervise, but also by the public, media and Government. The recent pay freeze was detrimental to policing, as was the lack of vaccine prioritisation. That has made people feel they are not valued, despite what was being expected of them throughout the pandemic.

“Colleagues are telling me that despite nice words from the Government, the Prime Minister and others, these mean absolutely nothing. Morale has been dented and with the uncertainty over the future of pensions, we feel that anger through PFEW’s local branches.

“One quick fix would involve a pay award, but I asked the Government to do an urgent review of its pay freeze decision, and it has not even bothered to respond. That shows just how little this Government thinks about policing, it’s contemplable. To ensure officers can pay their bills and are rewarded properly, they should be given this now.

“It simply does not wash any more for the Government to say how much it values police officers, but then not back it up with anything. This is seen as what it is by colleagues, a betrayal of trust.”

The survey, a rolling survey which has no designated closing date, is open to any officer who is leaving the police service, including those who are retiring, resigning or required to leave their force. It was launched to gain an insight into officers’ reasons for leaving and to identify whether officers were gaining what they wanted from a career with the service.

Find out more about taking part in the survey.