Leicestershire Police Pay and Morale Survey

2 November 2026

70% of Leicestershire Police officers are too fatigued to carry out their duties, new figures show.

94% do not feel fairly paid for the stresses and strains of the job, and 85% are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their overall pay and allowances.

According to the 2026 Police Federation of England and Wales Pay and Morale Report, 33% of officers frequently cannot meet their household’s financial needs.

73% say their workload is too high or much too high, and 44% have had at least one rest day cancelled in the past 12 months.

28% say they are satisfied with their job, and 8% intend to resign from the service either within the next two years or as soon as they can.

The survey also showed that 74% do not feel valued in the police and 67% would not recommend joining the service.

62% of respondents are not confident in their force's ability to resource appropriately for day-to-day operational demands, and 49% say their team has been fully staffed on very few or no shifts in the past three months.

74% say their force relies heavily on officer goodwill to meet routine operational demands, and 56% have felt unsafe on duty because of staffing levels in the past three months.

In Leicestershire Police, 38% of officers have been physically attacked by a member of the public in the past 12 months, and 78% do not have access to double crewing at all times while on duty.

Andy Spence, Chair of Leicestershire Police Federation, said: "This year’s pay and morale survey lays bare a bleak reality for policing. Year after year, the findings expose concerns that remain unresolved.

"Our members have said loudly and clearly that they don’t feel valued by the Government, they aren’t fairly paid and that their workload is too high.

"We have heard this from officers for a long time. The demands placed on the police force are far higher than they were before, the type of work expected of them is far higher.

"They are the initial responders, running towards danger, they are the face of the justice system, they face more traumatic incidents in a career than most do in a lifetime…. And for it they aren’t recompensed appropriately.

"Officers are having to use their own annual leave to deal with their mental health and two thirds of officers wouldn’t recommend joining the police. Three quarters of officers say that the force relies on the goodwill of officers.

"For a long time we have warned of a crisis in policing. Now, 10% of survey respondents say they intend to resign within the next two years. If they leave, policing will lose their experience and the investment made in them. Without proper funding, the situation will get worse. The Government must act: fund policing properly and ensure officers’ pay reflects the demands and conditions of the job."

The survey also showed that 80% of respondents had experienced stress, low mood or anxiety in the past 12 months, and 48% find their job very or extremely stressful.

50% have sought help for stress, low mood, anxiety or other mental health difficulties, and 67% rate their force's support for officers and their wellbeing as inadequate or requiring improvement.

The survey also showed the effect that policing has on officers’ personal lives. In Leicestershire Police, 35% of officers often or always pressured to work long hours and 69% had annual leave requests refused.

75% of respondents say they have been so fatigued that it has interfered with their family or social life in the past month, and 67% have had to cancel personal plans due to last-minute work requirements in the past 12 months.

37% have worked during annual leave to catch up, 12% have had at least one free day cancelled in the past 12 months and 18% have had their roster changed more than 10 times in the past 12 months.

For the first time, the survey asked about how policing affects parents and carers, with 74% of mothers and 35% of fathers in Leicestershire Police saying they have had to change job roles or teams to meet their obligations as a parent.

The survey is based on 248 responses received from Leicestershire Police officers.