Chair to MPs: "Start considering realistic pay rises for officers”

4 October 2017

Mel Warnes, Chair of Surrey Police Federation, attended this week’s Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, in the hope of speaking to some of the local Surrey MPs.

Mel had invited a number of the MPs to speak about the unacceptable police officer pay award in 2017, but was unable to meet face to face on the day with them due to their other commitments- although Mel has been promised meetings post conference from three.

Here’s what Mel had hoped to speak to them about yesterday:

“I wanted to question MPs on their thoughts around the unacceptable 1% pay award that’s been given.

“It’s not 2% as has been claimed. The additional 1% “bonus” is only for 1 year out of existing, dwindling budgets. It is completely unacceptable and it will just lead to more officers being lost from the force.

“Today’s meetings would have been ideal to get their thoughts around the decision, and to highlight to them that officers that are losing money every month of every year, and this is happening year after year.

“We are not getting any pay rises alongside inflation rates, and therefore we are just losing money left, right and centre.

“The budgets for the police are dwindling, the Chief Constables cannot afford to be paying us more, and therefore, with the award that’s been given, we will just continue to lose officers. The money must come from somewhere, the cuts are on top of further cuts, and something’s got to give.

“I hope that when I do get to speak to my local Surrey MPs, that they will take back these messages. We have got some high-profile Tory MPs in the Surrey Policing area, so it’d be great to speak to some, yet the majority haven’t responded to my letter - http://polfed.org/surrey/latest-news/open-letter-from-chair-to-all-surrey-mps/

“I want them to take back to the party these thoughts from the force, and start considering realistic pay rises for police officers.”