Report Shows "Eye Watering Lag In Police Pay"

9 March 2023

The Police Federation of England and Wales has called for a minimum 17% pay rise for police officers this year.

The PFEW came to the figure after a report by independent think tank Social Market Foundation showed that police officer pay had declined by 17% in real terms since 2000.

And Neil Mennie, Chair of Kent Police Federation, described the report as highlighting an “eye watering lag in police pay”.

Neil added: “I have long believed that policing has been the poor relation in the public sector and have said so on many occasions. This independent report further demonstrates this to be the case, with an eye watering lag in police pay. The figure of 17% is a reasonable place to start – and only at best levels the playing field.

“Pay is not everything, but in reality it’s a significant factor – with morale, motivation, retention and wellbeing all linked in some way. At the very least fair treatment should be given to a profession that’s far from greedy.

“I’m sure the powers that be will end up treating this as yesterday’s chip paper as quickly as they can. I will be stunned if we get anywhere near what is a reasonable ask with pay.”

The SMF research also found that police pay fared badly when compared to other protective services and public sector workers, whose pay rose by 1% and 14% respectively over the same period.

The report also claimed that the decline in police pay is likely to be linked the restrictions on their right to strike.

And it added that if the current police pay trend continued, officer remuneration would drop by a further 4% in real terms by 2027.

PFEW National Chair Steve Hartshorn said: “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.

“Police officers deserve to be treated with respect and dignity, and that begins with better pay. Pay that not only reflects the cost-of-living crisis that many of us face but puts right the 17% decline since 2000 and compensates officers for the dangers they’re exposed to as part of the job. They must be compensated fairly for doing a job that is so important and unique that they do not have access to industrial rights.”

The report also found that a key factor in discussions over police pay should be what it called the “P-factor”: 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.