Pay and Morale Survey highlights concerns over workload, safety and Force wellbeing

26 October 2026

West Mercia Police Federation says the latest Pay and Morale Survey provides more compelling evidence for the need to address the pressures facing officers.

The survey highlights members’ concerns over workloads, safety and force support.

Branch chair Gareth Spreadbury said the findings reinforce the The Real State of Policing theme that was central to the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) conference.

Gareth, thanked members who shared their experiences, and said: “Everyone talks about evidence-based policing, and PFEW has been hammering home the evidence over the issues within policing, including to the former Home Secretary, the Rt Hon Theresa May, who said we were crying wolf.

Broken

“Well, successive governments since then have continued to ignore the broken fencing and gate, the paw prints in the snow, and now the wolves are in the chicken pen.

“I want to know when, with all the available evidence, someone is going to be brave enough to fix the gate, because this cannot continue.”

Gareth said he was saddened by one of the most striking findings of the report was being 81 per cent of respondents rated West Mercia Police as inadequate or requiring improvement, compared with 63 per cent nationally.

Workload pressures were also higher than the national picture, with 71 per cent saying their workload was too high or much too high, against 63 per cent across England and Wales.

 

Branch chair Gareth Spreadbury

 

Officer safety is another concern. Almost two-thirds of respondents (65 per cent) said they had felt unsafe on duty because of staffing levels in the previous three months, compared with 55 per cent nationally.

Meanwhile, 88 per cent said they did not have access to double crewing at all times, significantly higher than the national figure of 75 per cent.

Gareth said the findings raised serious questions about the resources available to officers and the risks they face while carrying out their duties.

He said concerns also extend to wellbeing and professional development.

Wellbeing

More than three-quarters of respondents (78 per cent) rated the force’s wellbeing support as inadequate or requiring improvement, compared with 72 per cent nationally. Almost half (46 per cent) described their job as very or extremely stressful.

Only 77 per cent had received a performance development review (PDR) in the previous 12 months, compared with 91 per cent nationally.

Gareth said: “These findings add to the growing body of evidence that excessive demands are being put on officers without the resources and support they need.

“We now need to dig down in to the detail and find out why people have answered as they have so we can straight to the heart of members issues.”

The survey also identified areas where West Mercia Police compared favourably with the national picture.

Some 15 per cent of respondents said they intended to resign within the next two years, compared with 21 per cent nationally.

Just over a third (34 per cent) had experienced at least one cancelled rest day against a national average of 58 per cent.

More than a quarter (27 per cent) said they struggled to meet their household’s financial needs, compared with 30 per cent nationally.

Senior leaders

There was also a more favourable picture on perceptions of fairness, with 42 per cent disagreeing that they were treated fairly, against 49 per cent nationally.

Gareth said he would be sharing the results with senior leaders and was ready to work with them to address those areas within their gift.

He said: “We are committed to ensuring these findings are heard and acted upon. Our members deserve to be safe at work, properly supported and given the resources they need to do the job.

“We will continue to engage with the Chief Constable and the Force in an open and honest way, highlighting the areas where improvements are needed and work constructively to bring about changes for our members. 

“Our relationship with the Chief Constable and the Force has never been stronger or healthier, and we will continue to work closely with them to help our members with these issues in any way we can. 

“We will also continue to work with PFEW nationally to make sure the wider issues facing policing can’t be ignored.

“These surveys give us evidence, and we will use that evidence to push for meaningful change for our members.

“We will keep doing everything within our power to make sure their voices are heard.”

Read the full Pay & Morale Survey results here.

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