Police Pay: It is incredible that we have a Government that does not see fit to recognise and compensate officers accordingly

27 June 2022

“The UK Police Service remains the envy of the world and it is incredible that we have a Government that does not see fit to recognise and compensate the officers within it accordingly”

Rob Grunner, Secretary of Humberside Police Federation, blogs on Police Officer pay.

“It has been well documented recently how Police Officers have suffered a real-terms pay cut which puts us around 20% behind where we should be in terms of our wages. Even when compared to other public sector workers police have been the hardest hit.

“Police Officers are not immune to the pressures around the sky rocketing cost of living, especially around the costs of food and fuel. Despite what some may think officers, especially young in service officers, earn a terribly low wage when considering what they have to do to keep the public safe and how they put themselves at risk of serious harm, day after day.

“Locally we see and hear about more examples of officers having to work two jobs just to make ends meet and put food on the table and we, as a local Federation, are thinking very carefully about the right way to assist and support our colleagues. The fact that we are having to do this is appalling.

“The fact that we do not have a Police Officer Pay Review Body that we can rely upon, and who are totally hamstrung by a Government that sets rules and parameters making them completely ineffective, is hugely unfair and is the reason why we, and other staff associations, have walked away from it.

“It is noteworthy that Government ministers preach how they abide by the decisions of their own independent body (recommending significant rises in their own pay) that coincidentally are not given any parameters they must remain within. It simply must be the same rules for all.

“I find it highly ironic that my colleagues have been policing last week’s RMT strikes where RMT members have walked out in protest over the attacks on their own wages and conditions. Officer have shown incredibly high levels of professionalism and will continue to do the right thing and protect people rights to protest while at the same time being in the same situation but with zero recourse against it.

“The UK Police Service remains the envy of the world and it is incredible that we have a Government that does not see fit to recognise and compensate the officers within it accordingly. I hope that the upcoming pay award will make a start in redressing this imbalance but sadly predict that yet again we will be left to pick up the pieces and our colleagues will continue to struggle to live.”