Poor pay and treatment pushing officers towards resignation

20 March 2024

Poor pay and treatment pushing officers towards resignation  

More than one in five police officers are planning on quitting the police service, with 78 per cent highlighting poor government treatment as the influencing factor.  

Findings from the Police Federation of England and Wales Pay and Morale Survey, published today 20^th March 2024, revealed low morale is increasingly impacting retention with 22 per cent of respondents expressing intentions to resign and 18 per cent thinking of doing so within the next two years or ‘as soon as they can’.   

Three quarters (78 per cent) are ‘dissatisfied’ or ‘very dissatisfied’ with their overall remuneration (including basic pay and allowances). While 18 per cent reported never having enough money to cover their essentials. 

 

The survey also found rates of physical and verbal abuse from the public are high and officers are not getting the equipment and support they need. Only 27 per cent of respondents reported having access to double crewing ‘at all times’.  

 

Additionally, 85 per cent reported they had suffered one or more injuries that required medical attention as a result of work-related violence in the last year and 34 per cent have suffered verbal insults at least once per week over the past 12 months. 

 

PFEW is insisting the Government to take into account the restrictions and limitations put on police officers, the risks they face on a day-to-day basis and for pay to compensate this as part of our ongoing fair pay campaign.  

 

The organisation is taking action to address a number of areas based on the findings of the survey, including but not limited to: uprating allowances, types of leave, the P-factor and the pay review process.  

 

Key points include: 

• PFEW highlights economic hardships experienced by officers and calls for fair pay awards that consider their unique status and increased living costs.
• Assault rates on police officers have risen significantly, with physical violence and injuries on the job being prevalent (41,149 assaults recorded on police officers for the year ending June 2023; 11 per cent of respondents have experienced unarmed physical attacks at least once per week in the past 12 months; 89 per cent of respondents reported that they had suffered one or more injuries that required medical attention as a result of work-related accidents in the last year).
• Real pay for federated ranks has declined substantially over the years, making police pay an outlier compared to similar roles and sectors.
• The P-Factor payment should exist outside of ordinary pay, recognising the unique challenges officers face and the need for adequate compensation.
• PFEW campaigns for improvements in allowance policies and supports standardised support systems for officers' mental health and wellbeing.

 

The survey further reveals concerning trends regarding officers' working conditions and mental health: 

 

• Officers frequently face cancelled rest days (63 per cent) and refusals for annual leave (64 per cent in the last 12 months), impacting their ability to rest and recharge.
• Dissatisfaction with training opportunities (40 per cent) and Professional Development Review process (48 per cent) is prevalent among respondents.
• There's a gap between officers' desired safety equipment and what they have access to, contributing to poor morale and mental health.
• Overall, police officers report significantly lower life satisfaction compared to the general public, citing poor pay, working conditions, and morale as major concerns (5.2 out of 10 compared with 7.5 out of 10 compared in the general public).

 

North Wales Police Federation Chair Vinny Jones said: “I thank our members for completing this survey. The results reflect the very real struggles that our members are experiencing on a daily basis. Police officers in our force are suffering the very real consequences of underfunding and neglect perpetrated by successive governments over the past 10 years.  

 

“The impact on wellbeing, financial stability, and ability to carry out the duties expected of them is colossal, as reflected in the findings of the survey. The prospect of losing 22 per cent of officers to resignation over the next two years is a terrifying prospect and should absolutely focus the minds of those who control the budgets and pay awards. 

 

“The survey findings ultimately demonstrate the need for committed action, and a vote for the members to make a decision around whether they want to seek greater industrial rights, specifically collective bargaining and binding arbitration in relation to pay and conditions, will be held as soon as is practicable this year.” 

 

 

Other findings include:  

 

95 per cent said how the police are treated by the Government had a negative impact on their morale.  

81 per cent said their pay had a negative impact on their morale.   

73 per cent said they would not recommend joining the police to others.   

91 per cent of respondents feel that morale within the Police service is currently ‘low’ or ‘very low’. 

71 per cent said they did not feel valued within the police.  

86 per cent said they do not feel there are enough officers to meet the demands of their team or unit.  

64 per cent said their workload has been ‘too high’ or ‘much too high’ over the last 12 months.   

22 per cent of respondents told us that they had an intention to resign from the police service either ‘within the next two years’ or ‘as soon as [they] can.’ The most frequently cited reasons being how the Police are treated by the government and the impact of the job on their mental health and wellbeing. 

82 per cent of respondents indicated they had experienced feelings of stress, low mood, anxiety or other problems with their mental health and wellbeing. 

85 per cent of respondents feel they are not fairly paid given the hazards they face within their job, up from 78 per cent in 2018. 

92 per cent of respondents feel they are not fairly paid given the stresses and strains of their job, up from 88 per cent in 2018. 

85 per cent of respondents felt they were ‘worse off’ financially than they were five years ago. 

18 per cent reported never having enough money to cover all their essentials. 

 

 The full report is available to read here. 

 

Notes: 

 

In 2021, PFEW formally withdrew from the Police Remuneration Review Body, (PRRB) the public body providing advice to the Government on pay and conditions for police officers at or below the rank of chief superintendent because of what it consider to be unfairness and a lack of independence in the current system. The Government appoints the PRRB chair, sets its annual remit and has full discretion to accept or reject its recommendations.  

 

At the same time, there is no scope for negotiating with the Government, challenging decisions, or taking poor offers to any form of arbitration. PFEW strongly believes this system fails to give police officers a legitimate voice and leaves them in an unacceptably weak position when it comes to negotiating their pay and conditions. 

 

The PFEW Pay and Morale Survey 2023 launched on 6 November 2023 and closed on 11 December 2023. Responses were received from 29,085 police officers, 28,070 responses after data cleansing. 

The findings from the Pay and Morale Survey 2023 will provide strategically important evidence to support PFEW’s ongoing national pay campaign, calling for fair remuneration for police officers, and an independent pay mechanism.  

 

It also provides accurate and timely information on the current state of police morale and wellbeing, helping to inform and drive forward policies to support officers.  

 

The Pay and Morale Survey, conducted by PFEW's in-house Research Department and co-branded with independent researchers The Social Market Foundation (SMF), remains the sole consistent national survey that accurately represents members' perspectives on pay and working conditions.  

 

POLICE FEDERATION OF ENGLAND AND WALES  

 

The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) is the staff association for police constables, sergeants, inspectors (including chief inspectors), and special constables.  

 

PFEW has been successfully representing officers and influencing the policing agenda for over 100 years, having first established in 1919. Voicing the views of more than 145,000 rank and file police officers, PFEW is the official body that exists to represent and support police officers on issues such as pay, allowances, terms and conditions, as well as advising and lobbying on operational policing issues and influencing legislation. It also provides training on equality, promotion, discipline, and health and safety. 

 

SOCIAL MARKET FOUNDATION  

 

The Social Market Foundation (SMF) is a non-partisan think tank. We believe that fair markets, complemented by open public services, increase prosperity and help people to live well. We conduct research and run events looking at a wide range of economic and social policy areas, focusing on economic prosperity, public services and consumer markets. The SMF is resolutely independent, and the range of backgrounds and opinions among our staff, trustees and advisory board reflects this.