‘Policing left behind on pay’

20 August 2021

Policing is in danger of being left behind, says the chair of Suffolk Police Federation after new Government figures revealed an annual hike in UK average pay of 7.4 per cent.

In contrast, the Government has offered officers in England and Wales a zero per cent pay rise which Darren Harris says will make it harder to retain existing officers and recruit quality new ones.

Darren said: “Our members have every right to feel angry and betrayed by the Government’s pay freeze, particularly when they see the wage rises on offer in other areas.

“The Government is trying to recruit desperately needed officers to the service but what message does this send out to potential new recruits, and to our colleagues who have been on the frontline all through the pandemic?

 “Policing is in danger of being left behind – seen as an unattractive career, with huge pressure and demands and few rewards.”

Darren was speaking as new Office for National Statistics data showed growth in average total pay (including bonuses) was 8.8 per cent, and 7.4 per cent for regular pay (excluding bonuses) in the period between April and June. It also highlighted a record high in the number of UK job vacancies.

Ché Donald, national vice-chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW), also reacted angrily to the figures.

He said: “My colleagues will be dismayed by the news that some sectors are clearly receiving sky high wage rises while police officers receive nothing. They will be fully justified in feeling further betrayed by the unfairness of this news.

“Police officers who were on the frontline of the pandemic have already seen firefighters and local government workers in England given a 1.5 per cent increase.

“The ONS has now said the UK employment situation has been rebounding ‘robustly,’ and this new data will be viewed as further evidence all sectors were not treated equally by this government.

“It is yet another example of why we have lost confidence in a government which deliberately took full advantage of our unique status as public servants without the same employment rights as other members of society.”