The chair of Suffolk Police Federation has described the recommended 3.8 per cent pay offer for officers as ‘underwhelming’.

Darren Harris said the proposal would do little to address the decade-long erosion of police pay.

He said: “This is an underwhelming proposal that barely keeps pace with the rate of inflation over the past 12 months and will continue to leave our members out of pocket in comparison to a decade ago.

“Our members have seen their pay hammered in the past decade and more, and despite the awards of recent years, there is still a long way to go until we get restoration.

“I’ve no doubt pay is one of the main factors in the recruitment and retention crisis facing policing, and this recommendation falls well short of expectations to level up police pay.”

The staff associations for chief officers and superintendents and chief superintendents have recommended a pay uplift for them of 4.8 per cent.

Darren said it sent out a poor message to rank and file officers.

Dissatisfied

He said: “Our most recent Pay and Morale Survey found 73 per cent of members are dissatisfied with their pay and 14 per cent reported not having enough money to cover all of their essentials.

“I don’t think it’s a good look for senior officers, who are already among the most rewarded in policing, to say they are worthy of a bigger pay rise than rank and file officers, many of whom across the country are struggling to make ends meet.”

The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) no longer makes a submission to the PRRB, saying it is not fit for purpose and does not offer an independent pay award mechanism.

After a nationwide survey last year, members called on PFEW to campaign for industrial rights – specifically for a fair process of collective bargaining and binding arbitration - after a nationwide poll.

Darren said: “Discussions and decisions about our members’ pay are happening without meaningful input from their representatives and with no right to challenge recommendations and pay awards.

System

“And then they see higher pay awards in other public sectors and we wonder why morale is low, or why we have a recruitment and retention crisis.

“The system needs to change.”

Assistant Chief Officer Philip Wells at Bedfordshire Police is the NPCC lead for pay and conditions.

He said: “Below-market starting salaries for constables and real-term pay cuts for officers pose a significant challenge to attracting and retaining talented police officers.

“To deliver against the Government’s Safer Streets Mission and Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee we need to recruit, build and retain skills, attracting those people with the aptitude but also values and standards we need in policing.

“Our recommendations recognise the significant financial pressure facing both forces and government, while advocating for the critical need for a funded uplift in officer pay which reflects the incredibly challenging nature of the job.”

Download the NPCC submission.

READ MORE: 'Inspector survey results will drive conversations with the Force'.