Sussex Police Federation reacts to General Election result

8 July 2024

The new Labour Government has promised change and that’s what needs to happen to improve
the pay and conditions of police officers, the Chair of Sussex Police Federation has said.

Raffaele Cioffi said: “This morning we woke up to a new Government who centered their
campaign around ‘change’. It's now time to deliver on your promises. Your predecessors have
left policing in a poor state, with pay and working conditions far behind to what is required.

“They also left policing with a significant retention issue. The uplift provided recruits that simply
took us back to the officer numbers we had in 2010. The demand on officers has increased
drastically, and the balance between work and home life has diminished.

“Our members are suffering large amounts of shift changes, extended duties and cancelled rest
days just to meet the demand. There are simply not enough police officers to provide the
service that is expected by the public.”

Raffaele continued: “Your pledge for 13,000 new officers is welcomed, but please make sure
that central Government takes on the strain of financing this, not individual forces.

“I look forward to meeting with our new and re-elected Sussex MPs soon.”