Sussex Police Federation tell it like it is to MPs on Parliamentary visit

13 June 2025

Poor pay and assaults on officers were among the urgent topics of discussion when Sussex Police Federation met with local MPs this week.

On Wednesday 11 June, the day of the Government’s spending review, members of the Federation including Chair Raffaele Cioffi met with local MPs at Parliament for a round-table event to discuss the issues affecting officers.

Raffaele said: “We were able to make representations on issues including pay and working conditions and how the Federation is actively campaigning for collective bargaining and binding arbitration on police pay.

“We also talked to MPs about the latest Pay and Morale Survey that revealed that 76% of Sussex Police officers feel worse off financially now that they did five years ago, and 21% intend to resign within the next two years or as soon as they can.”

He continued: “We also pressed home that assaults on officers are rising, and not helped by unduly lenient sentences. Police officers should be classed as an aggravating factor when it comes to review criteria.

“And we talked about our Simplify DG6 campaign, which addresses the burdens on officers due to the current evidence disclosure guidance. In addition, we raised the issue of legislation that could provide employment protection to Special Constables when they volunteer for the role.”

Attending the meeting were:
Nusrat Ghani, Conservative MP for Sussex Weald
Kieran Mullan, Conservative MP for Bexhill and Battle
John Milne, Liberal Democrat MP for Horsham
Andrew Griffith, Conservative MP for Arundel and South Downs
Peter Kyle, Labour MP for Hove and Portslade
Jess Brown-Fuller, Liberal Democrat MP for Chichester
Mims Davies, Conservative MP for East Grinstead and Uckfield
and Peter Lamb, Labour MP for Crawley.