Chancellor urged to give officers a real-terms pay rise

22 March 2022

Suffolk Police Federation chair Darren Harris has called on Chancellor Rishi Sunak to use his Spring Statement on Wednesday to recognise officers’ “commitment, dedication, and sacrifice” with a substantial pay increase that reflects the cost of living.

He was commenting after the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) wrote to Mr Sunak urging him to guarantee a real-terms pay increase for members.

Darren said: “Our members have given everything during the pandemic and must now be rewarded for their commitment, dedication, and sacrifice with a real-terms pay increase.

“Our members have already seen their pay cut in real terms over the last decade, but now they’re being squeezed even more by the rising cost of living and interest rates.

“It’s a massive issue for our members and is having an impact on their morale, their mental health and their ability to keep a roof over their heads and put food on the table.

“It shouldn’t be like that. This is why we’re calling on the Chancellor to use his Spring Statement to recognise and reward our members for the unique work they do by committing to a substantial, real terms pay rise.

“Anything less would be a kick on the teeth.”

Written by national Federation secretary Alex Duncan, the PFEW letter also highlights the impact pay is having on morale, mental health and on officers’ day-to-day life.

The letter has also been copied to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel.

It says: “It’s been an incredibly tough two years for police officers dealing with significant extra demands posed by the Covid pandemic. Alongside these challenges, since 2010, police officers have faced increasing workloads and a staggering real-terms cut in their pay of 20 per cent.

“There is now little difference between the hourly wage of a new starter and the national living wage. All the evidence suggests this is having a crippling effect on morale across the police service.

“All the evidence shows that the public are on our side, with recent polling showing that four in five people support a pay rise for police officers at the next opportunity. A similar proportion say that police officers are important to the fabric of their communities, and they understand how dangerous being a police officer can be.

“Use the Spring Statement to demonstrate that your Government actually does respect police officers.”

Read the full letter.