Federation calls for officers to be given a 17 per cent pay rise

9 March 2023

Hertfordshire Police Federation today backed calls for a 17 per cent pay rise for members after independent research by a leading non-partisan think tank revealed the extent of the real-terms reductions in their wages.

Branch chair Luke Mitchell, who has frequently warned of a crisis in policing because of the Government’s failure to address the pay issue, said this year’s award must make up for the years of decline.

He said: “Our members have put up with real-terms pay cuts since 2000. That equates to a reduction of around 20 per cent and has been brought into sharp focus because of the current cost of living crisis.

“Since becoming branch chair, I have been keen to hold the Government to account because I feel it has looked the other way as the impact of the pay issue on our members become clear.

“We have members who are struggling to make ends meet and that is unacceptable.

“This year’s pay offer must redress the balance. We are calling for a 17 per cent rise because we believe such an award would reflect the cost of living crisis, correct years of real-terms pay cuts and compensate officers for the dangers they’re routinely exposed to as part of their job. 

“Other frontline workers have used the last resort of industrial action to ensure they are properly rewarded for the tough jobs they do. Our members forego the right to withdraw their labour when they become servants of the Crown and should not be taken advantage of because of that.”

The Police Federation issued its 17 per cent pay claim after a study by the Social Market Foundation (SMF) found wages had lagged almost 20 per cent behind inflation since 2000.

In that same period, protective services workers saw an average real-terms rise of 1 per cent while other public sector workers received 14 per cent. MPs’ salaries went up by 4 per cent in real terms over the last 13 years.

The independent SMF report said the decline in pay was likely to be linked to the restrictions on police officers’ right to strike, which puts them at a distinct disadvantage to all other workers including other emergency service workers.

A key factor in discussions of police pay is the “P-factor” which SMF has suggested should be a figure offered in addition to its findings. 

The report references the P-factor as an element of police pay that reflects the unique obligations and responsibilities police officers’ experience relative to other comparable roles. 

This includes their unique risk of exposure to physical and psychological harm, alongside the restrictions that are placed upon their private lives.

The P-factor payment does not feature in the report highlighting that the actual figure of degradation of police pay is significantly higher.

Police Federation national chair Steve Hartshorn said the SMF research should act as a “wake-up call for policy-makers in the UK”.

He said: “Police officers put their lives on the line every day to serve and protect their communities.

“That is why today our National Council has taken the decision to call for a minimum of 17 per cent increase in pay for our officers.

“The Government can no longer sit by and ignore our members’ basic needs and must recognise the impact of this independent research. 

“In the context of ongoing inflation, indications of a police retention crisis, and reports of officers being forced to turn to food banks, the issue of police pay must be addressed now after more than a decade of being ignored.”