PFEW Pay and Morale Survey: “52% of Kent Police officers are concerned about their finances every day or almost every day."

18 November 2019

“52% of Kent Police officers are concerned about their finances every day or almost every day. In recent years pay increases for officers have not kept pace with the cost of living and coupled with a deterioration in the value of the South East Allowance it’s bitten into their wage packets.”

80% of Kent Police officers who responded to the Police Federation of England and Wales 2019 Pay and Morale survey are dissatisfied with their pay – and over half (56%) said they have low morale.

68% of respondents from Kent Police felt that they were worse off financially than they were five years ago and 14% of respondents reported never or almost never having enough money to cover all their essentials.

The majority (87%) of those who responded said they felt morale within the force is low or very low, an increase of 1% on 2018. 56% said their own morale is low; the same figure was recorded in 2018.

Kent Police Federation Chairman Neil Mennie said the figures did not surprise him set against a backdrop of the cuts suffered by policing in recent years.

“This year’s survey continues to be disappointing in respect of the concerns and worries our members have both nationally and here in Kent,” he said.

“However, given the recent constraints and cuts it does not come as a surprise - I have always taken the view that policing is a vocation, and this is shared by many of our members.

“It’s important that pay and renumeration are always under consideration and where possible elevated to meet financial demand on the individual.

"Here in Kent, 52% were concerned about their finances every day or almost every day. In recent years pay increases for officers have not kept pace with the cost of living and coupled with a deterioration in the value of the South East Allowance have bitten into the wage packet.”

838 responses were received from Kent Police, representing a response rate of around 23%.

Other results included 63% of respondents saying they would not recommend joining the police to others.

And 9% said they had an intention to leave the police service either within the next two years or as soon as possible.

Neil added: “Concerns over workload are also a significant issue and this is a very important area to address. A manageable workload results in so many other areas of benefit to both the individual and the organisation improving motivation and well-being.

“Kent as a force has recognised this and has introduced a number of systems and processes that seek to reduce that workload but it’s clear there is more to do - as a Federation we want our members to look forward to coming to work and undertaking ‘a job like no other’ with positivity and a good work-life balance,” he said.

“Of course, we hope that the uplift of officers will help but this will take time and we also need to ensure we motivate our more experienced officers to guide and lead them.

“It is a credit to all our members that despite the survey the service provided to the public and the work they undertake has led to Kent being marked as an ‘exceptional force’ in many areas.”

See the full survey results here https://www.polfed.org/…/kent-pay-and-morale-force-report-2…