Norfolk Police Federation Chair reacts to 2.5% police pay rise announcement

23 July 2019

Andy Symonds reacts to the announcement that officers pay will be uplifted by 2.5% from 1st September;

The slightly above inflation pay increase this year for Police is simply not enough to make up the near 20% fall in our pay since 2010. Proper funding from the Government is needed for the Police, and a budget increase is a necessity. This years’ pay award will again have to be found from existing budgets which means forces will have to find the money from somewhere. It cannot be right that officers receive a pay award but will be left with the very real possibility that they will have less colleagues backing them up at jobs and supporting the ever-increasing workloads. With increased demand on officers we see first-hand the dire consequences on officer’s mental health. More than ever officers are suffering with work related stress and mental illness, the likely cuts to fund this increase will not have a positive outcome for already overworked, underpaid officers.

The Federation and Superintendents Association submitted a well evidenced, fully researched pay submission to the Police Pay and Remuneration Body (PRRB) which is the independent body which advises the Government on what police officers should be paid. We asked for a 6.2% uplift in pay so the 2.5% is woefully short by 3.7%. Within the announcement teachers and members of the armed services have been awarded a 2.9% uplift. This is more than deserved and should also have been much higher for the outstanding work they do for this country. However, officers up and down this country produce outstanding work on a daily basis, they perform many acts of bravery, more and more being assaulted, with many never fully recovering from their injuries. Not only this but officers are carrying huge workloads which at times are intolerable, leading to stress and often leading to more severe mental health issues.

The only crumb from the table of Government is that the Home Office announced it will accept in full the recommendations of the PRRB. This is the first time in three years that this has happened, with the Government simply ignoring the recommendations of the PRRB’s regarding pay increases. The Federation still has an outstanding judicial review going through the courts from the 2018 pay award.

I have some hope that perhaps the tide has turned and that we're going to see a change of direction with regards to police and our funding. But the test will be action from this Government not nice words.

Best wishes,

Andy Symonds

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The Police Federation of England and Wales has called today’s 2.5% pay award for police officers “a small step in the right direction” but has demanded the Government must do more to make up for years of real-terms pay cuts.

Today (22 July) the Home Office announced it will accept in full the recommendations of the Police Pay and Remuneration Body (PRRB) which is the independent body which advises the Government on what police officers should be paid.

It is the first time in three years that this has happened, with the Government previously attracting criticism for ignoring the PRRB’s recommendations regarding pay increases.

Reacting to the news PFEW National Chair John Apter said: “Police officers have suffered nine years of pay freezes and pay caps. So while this pay award represents the highest received since 2010 it is not what we and the Police Superintendents’ Association jointly asked for - however it is better than the derisory rise our members were given last year.

“And it is positive to see the Government abiding by proper process and accepting all the recommendations of the PRRB which it has failed to do for the past two years. But this must be just the start of getting police officers pay back to the level it should be.”

The pay rise – which will come into effect on 1 September 2019 – equates to around an extra £1,000* of pensionable salary a year for a constable.

Mr Apter continued: “This rise does little to redress the 18% real term pay cut our members have experienced over the past nine years, and the Government must go further.

“Before the next pay award, the Chancellor will announce the results of the Comprehensive Spending Review – and that must include substantial, centrally-funded investment to ensure the service is fully and properly resourced – encompassing a significant, real-term rise in officer pay.

“We have heard a lot of promises about the future of policing made by the two candidates vying to become Prime Minister – but whoever takes over must ensure that they commit the necessary funding to make these promises a reality, and to ensure the public gets the police service it needs and deserves,” Mr Apter said.

As well as the pay rise, which is applicable across all ranks, the Government announced:

• An increase in the on-call allowance from £15 to £20 per 24-hour period for all Federated ranks,
• A 2.5% uplift in the Dog Handlers’ allowance,
• A 2.5% uplift in London weighting, and
• No change for apprentice and degree holder progression pay, which means those joining the service will continue to receive the current incremental pay rises through their probationary period.

* This takes into account salary plus allowances.