Surrey Police Federation Chair backs submission for 5% police pay rise: ‘The job should be rewarded’

10 February 2020

The 2020 police officer pay rise submission has been made – with the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) calling for a 5% pay rise for all police officers.

It is also asking for a minimum starting salary of £24,177 for new recruits.

Other submissions to the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) include:

- The removal of the lowest two pay points for Constables, to facilitate recruitment;

- The shortening of the Constables’ and Sergeants’ pay scales;

- The introduction of new top pay scale points for all ranks, to incentivise retention;

- An increase in location and dog-handlers’ allowance, and that both London and South East allowances should be increased to 150% of their current values.

Mel Warnes, Chair of Surrey Police Federation, said: “The 5% pay increase submission goes some way to paying police officers the pay they deserve. The job is unique in many ways and this should rewarded.

“The submission should be accepted in full and will assist with tackling the financial vulnerability some officers find themselves facing, with having to deal with an 18% pay decrease in real terms over the past 10 years.”

Mel added: “With more officers needed for recruitment to reach the 20,000 new officers (53,000 in reality), the pay must be attractive to all, rather than just the younger generation. It is not right that a police officer’s pay would not be sufficient for a change in career for older applicants, who may already have financial commitments.

“Police pay must be attractive for recruitment as well as retention of our current police officers.”

All sides – the Home Office, Chief Officers, and staff associations – give their recommendations to the independent PRRB, who then submit a paper/recommendation to the Home Secretary Priti Patel. She has a final decision on the pay rise for 2020, usually made in the summer. It will probably kick in in September.

Last year the PRRB recommended 2.5% for officers, which was accepted and implemented in full by the Home Secretary.

John Apter, Chairman of PFEW, said: "This comes on the back of 10 years of austerity measures which has seen police officers’ pay either frozen or capped, like many other public sector workers, at 1%.

"So a new recruit might be starting now on £18,500. Now, if that stays as it is, it means that police officers are on 15p an hour more than the living wage; these are officers who many politicians proclaim to be the bravest in the world and are doing fantastic, great stuff.

"That is completely unacceptable. So we’re calling for an increase for starting pay that will take them to over £24,000, to recognise the role they carry out and the dangers they face, but also an overall pay rise of 5%.

"It doesn’t even fill the gap of the, in real terms, 18% cut in pay that police officers have seen over the past 10 years. But our submission is based on evidence and we think it’s realistic, and the Government must listen.

"If the Government want to retain police officers, if they want to recruit police officers, then they have to pay them fairly. It’s no good standing on the step of Parliament proclaiming how fantastic they are when they don’t give them the pay they deserve."