Government urged to back police officers in Spending Review

9 June 2025

Hertfordshire Police Federation Luke Mitchell has added his voice to calls for ‘sustained long-term investment’ in policing in this week’s Spending Review.

As the Chancellor Rachel Reeves prepares to deliver her Spending Review on Wednesday, Luke says it is ‘a pivotal moment for policing’.

Luke said: “As a Federation, we urge the Chancellor and the Government to recognise the issues facing our members, particularly in relation to their pay.

“Survey after survey has highlighted the impact that a decade of savage cuts to their pay and working conditions has had on their morale, their health, and their ability to do their job.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

“They are overworked, underpaid, and undervalued. They increasingly face the threat of violence in their job.

“We’re seeing more experienced officers walking away from the service than we can recruit.

“Policing is in crisis and this Spending Review feels like a pivotal moment.

“It’s a chance for this Government to show it values police officers, and to pay them a wage that reflects the unique job they do.”

Luke was speaking in support of a hard-hitting national newspaper article which warns that policing is facing ‘a national emergency’.

Crisis

Tiff Lynch, acting national chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW), and Nick Smart, president of the Police Superintendents’ Association (PSA), have co-written the article for the Telegraph, spelling out the crisis in policing.

In it, they warn that policing faces a £1.2 billion shortfall, and that forces are ‘forced to shed officers and staff to deliver savings’.

They write: “When a young constable looks down at their payslip and wonders how they’ll make rent this month, something is deeply wrong.

“When experienced detectives walk away from decades of service, broken by the demands placed on them, it’s the police service itself that’s broken.

“When chief inspectors and superintendents – often the most senior officers on duty overnight across entire counties – are battling burnout and crushing stress, it becomes a national emergency.”

Investment

Now the pair have called for ‘sustained investment in structures, people, and new technology’, saying policing needs:

A fair, independent pay review system not bound by Treasury limits, nor instructed in what is allowed to consider.
Immediate action to raise starting salaries, so policing is a viable, long-term career, not a financial sacrifice.
A long-term funding settlement that reflects genuine investment and allows chief constables to plan.
Real investment in officer wellbeing, not just words.
And a commitment to a defining purpose so that the police police, rather than doing the work of other public bodies.

Luke said: “The joint article from PFEW and PSA spells out in black and white the crisis that is engulfing policing.

“We’ve long warned that these situations would arise without proper investment and sincerely hope that the Government takes heed when it delivers its Spending Review.”