Pay and Morale Survey findings: one in five cops planning on quitting

20 March 2024

West Midlands Police Federation chair Rich Cooke says that the retention crisis in policing will only get worse without fair pay for police officers.

Rich renewed the branch’s call for a fully independent pay mechanism, describing the current system as ‘unfit for purpose’.

And he again emphasised that the membership ballot asking if the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) should explore industrial rights and a return to collective bargaining and binding arbitration, should take place as soon as possible.

Rich was commenting after the latest PFEW Pay and Morale Survey revealed that more than one in five (22 per cent) of police officers - nationally - are planning to quit the service.

More than three-quarters of those (78 per cent) said that poor treatment from the Government was a contributing factor in wanting to leave. Morale (85 per cent) and mental health and wellbeing (73 per cent) were also key factors.

The figures have been revealed in the latest Pay and Morale survey, which has been published today.

Rich said: “It’s deeply worrying that so many police officers are thinking about leaving the service, but it’s not a surprise.

“Officers feel overworked and undervalued, and it is only going to get worse until they receive a fair pay settlement.

“We’ve seen police pay and conditions degraded over the past decade and more, to the point where officers feel they need to leave to be able to support their families.

“Officers need to be properly rewarded for the unique role they perform and a significant step towards that would be to introduce a fully independent pay review process, as the current one is not fit for purpose.

“It’s not fair or transparent and effectively stops us from negotiating on behalf of members.

“And that is why, as a branch, we’re seeking other options and pushing for a membership ballot to ask if PFEW should pursue industrial rights.”

More than 9,000 officers resigned in the year ending March 2023, PFEW said, the highest number of leavers in a financial year since comparable records began.

Some 85 per cent of respondents to the survey feel they are not fairly paid given the hazards they face within their job, up from 78 per cent in 2018.

That is illustrated by 15 per cent reporting they had suffered one or more injuries that required medical attention because of work-related violence in the last year.

More than three quarters (78 per cent) of police officers disclosed they are ‘dissatisfied’ or ‘very dissatisfied’ with their overall remuneration (including basic pay and allowances), while 18 per cent reported ‘never’ or ‘almost never’ having enough money to cover all their essentials.

More than half (58 per cent) of respondents feel their morale is ‘low’ or ‘very low’, while 87 per cent feel morale within their force is currently ‘low’ or ‘very low’.

More than two-thirds (82 per cent) indicated they had experienced feelings of stress, low mood, anxiety or other problems with their mental health and wellbeing over the last 12 months.

Other findings include:

95 per cent said how the police are treated by the Government had a negative impact on their morale
81 per cent said their pay had a negative impact on their morale
73 per cent said they would not recommend joining the police to others.
71 per cent said they did not feel valued within the police
92 per cent of respondents feel they are not fairly paid given the stresses and strains of their job
86 per cent said they do not feel there are enough officers to meet the demands of their team or unit
64 per cent said their workload has been ‘too high’ or ‘much too high’ over the last 12 months
39 per cent said their workload being too high had an impact on their mental health and wellbeing.

PFEW national chair Steve Hartshorn said: “At a critical time where the police service is looking to rebuild eroded public confidence, a sustained recruitment and retention programme is needed to meet demand and deliver. The numbers we currently have are not enough and we are haemorrhaging officers.

“We do not need to scratch our heads wondering why they are quitting, because the evidence is right here, with unfair pay at the centre of it all.

“A fair pay mechanism is urgently needed, namely the ‘P-Factor’, a payment for remunerating officers for the harm they may encounter while carrying out their duties among other restrictions. It is there to address a series of unique issues experienced by police officers, and independent research agrees with this positioning.

“To help the Government understand these unique challenges to policing, PFEW is undertaking its own review of the P-Factor design and formula to support our campaigning on this matter.

“The survey findings ultimately demonstrate the need for committed action, and a vote for the members to make a decision around whether they want to seek greater industrial rights, specifically collective bargaining and binding arbitration in relation to pay and conditions, will be held as soon as is practicable this year.”

Read the full survey.