Student officer who quit due to low pay says she was forced to choose between passion and survival

11 April 2022

“When it comes to putting a roof over my child’s head, I simply couldn’t compromise. And the sad part is, I loved the job, but there was no other option,” says a former student officer who was forced to resign due to low pay.

Danielle Fisher has shared her experience as part of Suffolk Police Federation’s ‘Fair Pay For Police’ campaign, which aims to address the alarming numbers of new recruits quitting before completing their probation.

The 29-year-old mother-of-one says handing in her notice was the hardest decision she has ever made after she found herself unable to pay for petrol at the end of the month after funding childcare for her son.

“The salary of officers needs to be reviewed, or the Force will continue to miss out on some really good officers because they can’t afford to live,” says Dani, who was part of the Direct Entry to a DC programme and began training in September last year.

“Don’t get me wrong, I did so much research before I started but it’s not until you’re actually working those long shifts, and experience the low pay, that you realise just how difficult it is.”

Dani’s story comes after it was revealed that 15.6 per cent of those recruited into Suffolk Police since the end of 2019 have already quit their role.

Joining the police was a lifelong dream of Danielle, who admits she knew it would be hard to stretch her finances each month but was initially willing to make the sacrifice.

“At first, the 9 to 5 training was manageable, but it became quickly apparent that the shift work would have a huge impact on my life,” added Dani.

"Because my parents are still young and working, they can’t help me out with looking after my son, which meant me paying for even more childcare than planned - which wasn't helped by me being tired and needing to recover from long shifts on my days off."

After paying the cost of full-time childcare sessions, Dani says she had around £100 spare cash, which meant her making a big dent in her savings each month.

“Things came to a head when my re-mortgage was declined and wasn’t able to afford fuel for my car. It was putting pressure on my family to pay for more too,” reveals Dani. 

She said: “Between myself, my tutor and sergeant, we tried to make it work but, in the end, I had no other choice. My son had to come first and looking after him is my priority.

“If you speak to any of my friends, they will tell you that they noticed a real difference in me. I felt like a failure, like I was having to choose between something I loved doing and supporting my family. It had a severe impact on my mental health.

“I had sleepless nights worrying. Handing my notice in was the hardest decision I’ve ever made. Being in the police is everything I ever wanted to do and now it’s just gone, out the window.”

Dani, who left her trainee role in March, has returned to her previous workplace, West Suffolk College. She says that peers in her police cohort would regularly have conversations about the low salary.

“We would literally be asking ourselves, how will we survive financially each month? I know some officers would opt out of their pension to save money, which isn’t something I wanted to do, for the sake of my future.

“I can honestly say, if I could’ve afforded to continue on the course, I wouldn’t have left. I absolutely loved the job.”

Dani says that our Fair Pay for Police campaign is crucial in helping those in power address the pay situation for officers across the nation.

“Better pay will mean better retention, it’s that simple,” she says, “The salary either needs to be reviewed or perhaps officers can be helped with their pension contributions until they earn more.

“Ultimately, with the cost of living rising, it’s impossible for the salary of officers to stay the same.”

Chair of Suffolk Police Federation Darren Harris says that for the Force to not only successfully attract new officers but retain them, there needs to be a better focus on pay and working conditions.

“The recent figures surrounding new recruits are nothing short of abysmal, yet I’m not surprised at all,” said Darren.

“Sadly, Dani’s story is just one example of too many, who feel they have no other choice than to leave the Force if they want to survive – not just for their sake, but for their families too.

“I feel embarrassed and ashamed that we’re even having to launch a campaign for better pay but hopefully sharing these stories will help get our voice heard with those in power.”

Police officers have been subject to brutal below inflation pay rises in recent years leading to real-terms pay reductions amounting to around 20 per cent since 2010. Last year officers were handed a pay freeze. Despite the Treasury blaming this on the cost of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was announced that MPs would receive a 2.7 per cent pay hike from this month.

“For Dani to feel like she has to choose between her dream of joining the police or affording to live is shocking and it needs to be addressed. We cannot continue this way, something needs to urgently be done now before we lose more recruits and put additional pressure on current officers,” ended Darren.