Apprentices will face debt 'every month' says PFEW

28 August 2018

New apprenticeship police officers’ pay could leave them in debt from day one, says the Police Federation of England and Wales.

The Government has decided that probationers will start on £18,000 a year although forces can pay up to £23,000 in areas which are difficult to recruit in.

The figures were put forward by the PRRB and ratified by the Home Office earlier this month.

The miserly amount will put young officers at the risk of getting themselves into financial problems early on in their careers according to PFEW Professional Development Lead Dave Bamber.

“Just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse, this pay scheme really does beggar belief,” he fumed.

“It was announced at the same time as the paltry 2% pay rise for officers and the new apprenticeship scheme really takes the biscuit.

“We’ve done the calculations and worked out that those on £18K will already be around £39 in debt at the end of each month after spending on basics such as food, rent and travel.

"In other words, officers would need to borrow each month just to pay their bills or would have to claim benefits just to survive.

“I am concerned for those starting their police careers on such low wages when we already have the evidence from the pay and moral survey which shows that members are feeling the pinch like never before.

“It shows that even for those on higher rates of the pay scale, many more are resorting to second jobs and welfare schemes to put food on the table,” he added.

The decision was particularly galling Mr Bamber added as apprentice officers will be exposed to the same level of risk as more experienced officers.

“They will be tackling the same crimes as every other copper on the streets and on top of that they will have the added pressure of completing an academic syllabus.

“There will be high expectations placed on them, together with poverty level pay packets - because many of those on apprenticeship wages will truly be living on the breadline.”

Apprenticeships will offer people a route into policing without a degree, but fears remain that the financial burdens will prove too great a cost to pay.

“Who is to say that some of those apprentices, having joined on £18K, find themselves struggling so much financially that they are literally forced to quit the service in search of better paid jobs?” Mr Bamber said.

“Then we might be left with even more gaps in our struggling police service. This should be a stark warning to Government: you get what you pay for.”