South East police forces react with fury to Metropolitan Police's £5,000 offer for officers to jump ship to the London force

1 June 2022

Police forces in the South East of England have reacted with fury after the Metropolitan Police offered experienced officers from other areas a £5,000 bonus to jump ship and join the London force.

Police and Crime Commissioners and Police Federations accused the Metropolitan Police of trying to “poach police officers” by offering the cash bung.

The £5,000 ‘one off cash bonus’, the Metropolitan Police said, would be on top ‘our existing package of benefits to encourage more people to become a police constable’… such as London weighting.

Daren Egan, Chair of Sussex Police Federation, called for all police officers to receive better pay.

He said: “Poaching cash strapped Police officers from neighbouring forces with large cash incentives is below the belt by anybody’s standards. Preying on financially vulnerable officers who are struggling to make ends meet with a gimmick £5,000 payment has as a shady feel to it, but it does beg the question how the Metropolitan Police are able to fund this additional money, it just doesn’t add up.

“Surely the Government should divert the Met’s “free money” to Sussex and Surrey who are being asked to save £16million due to a funding deficit.

“If we did have any free cash you would like to think it would be spent on our own officers who can’t pay their bills, policing our own streets and keeping the people of Sussex safe.”

Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne Tweeted: "The Metropolitan Police [are] putting own targets ahead of concerns over community safety.

“Does nothing to increase new officers to policing, just makes whole system more expensive at time when all forces feeling budget pressures. They don’t care about bigger picture.”