Half of officers regularly worrying about their finances
18 November 2019
Almost half of the West Midlands Police Federation members who responded to a nationwide survey on pay and morale said they worried about the state of their finances either daily or almost every day.
The results of the annual Police Federation survey, carried out among members across England and Wales, showed 47 per cent worried about money and also revealed that 81 per cent of West Midlands respondents were dissatisfied with their overall remuneration – including basic pay and allowances.
Three quarters also felt they were worse off financially than they were five years ago with 13 per cent reporting they never, or almost never, had enough money to cover essentials. This was the 10th highest return in the country for this question.
A total of 91 per cent of West Midlands respondents said they did not feel fairly paid for the stresses and strains of the job while 86 per cent said they did not feel they were fairly paid for the hazards they faced.
“The results of the survey do not come as a huge surprise to us,” says Steve Grange, secretary of West Midlands Police Federation.
“We know that years of austerity and below-inflation pay rises have had an impact on police officer wages, meaning that they have not kept up with increased living costs.
“Police officers play a unique role in society, putting their lives on the line to protect their communities and they should be suitably and fairly paid for the critical work they do. I hope the Government and other decision-makers take note of the findings of this survey and realise that it’s time for officer pay to be looked at again.
“At a time when we are trying to recruit 20,000 new police officers nationwide, we need to ensure that we have a pay package that not only attracts the very best people to policing but also ensures we retain the experienced officers we have.”
As well as painting a depressing picture on the issue of pay, the survey findings also revealed that West Midlands Police Federation members were concerned about poor morale.
A total of 95 per cent of West Midlands respondents felt morale within the Force was currently low with more than half (59 per cent) saying their own morale was low, the sixth highest figure recorded in the survey for this question.
The reasons given for low morale were:
- How the police as a whole are treated – 87 per cent
- Management of change within the police – 83 per cent
- Pay and benefits – including pension – 80 per cent
- Work-life balance – 64 per cent
- Health and wellbeing – 60 per cent
- Workload and responsibilities – 58 per cent
- Opportunities for development and promotion – 50 per cent
- Treatment by senior managers – 49 per cent
- Day to day job role – 46 per cent
Almost three quarters (70 per cent) of those from the Force who responded to the survey said they would not recommend joining the police to others, the sixth highest in the country, and one in 10 said they intended to leave the police service either within the next two years or as soon as possible with low morale, how the police are treated and the impact of the job on their health and wellbeing cited as the main reasons behind this.
Just over a third (35 per cent) of members from the West Midlands who took part in the survey said they are not treated fairly, the seventh highest.
The pay and morale survey is carried out by the Police Federation of England and Wales each year with the responses being used to provide evidence in its negotiations with the Government, forces and other stakeholders.
A total of 1,237 responses were received from West Midlands Police Federation members this year, a response rate of 19 per cent compared to a national response rate of 16 per cent.
The survey opened on 10 June this year and closed on 30 August.
Read the full report.
