‘Pay rise must factor in rising cost of living’

28 October 2021

Police officers must be given a substantial pay rise next year that factors in the rising cost of living.

That’s the view of Suffolk Police Federation chair Darren Harris following the Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s budget statement yesterday, in which he announced an end to the public sector pay freeze.

Darren gave a cautious welcome to the announcement as he called on the Government to ensure next year’s pay rise kept pace with inflation.

“The Chancellor’s announcement of an end to the public sector pay freeze is welcome but now we need to see the detail,” he said.

“Anything less than an above inflation pay rise will see the pay freeze become a pay squeeze. Our members have already seen their pay cut in real terms over the last decade, which has hit morale although officers remain committed to serving and protecting the public.

“Now, with inflation on the rise and the threat of interest rate rises, it’s time the Chancellor rewarded police officers for their dedication and commitment during the pandemic and for the unique work they do in society by committing to a substantial, real terms pay rise.

“It’s time for the Chancellor to put his money where his mouth is,” Darren added.

The Federation’s national vice-chair, Ché Donald, echoed Darren’s comments, calling on the Government to level up police pay so inflation is taken into account, and to make sure they receive a fair wage for an increasingly difficult job.

“Police officers were shoddily treated by this Government and rewarded for their dedication and professionalism during the pandemic with a zero per cent increase, which was a real terms pay cut,” said Ché.

“While we welcome the Chancellor’s decision to end the unfair pay freeze for some public sector workers, this must result in an increase of more than the four per cent inflation figure he predicted for 2022, if it is to make a positive difference.

“As well as a real term pay increase, we urgently need a fair pay mechanism which is independent of Government interference and delivers a binding outcome to restore trust and faith in the police pay process as anything less is just populist political fanfare.”