Changes to sergeants’ pay scales

8 December 2020

The changes to the sergeants’ pay scales introduced earlier this year are a positive way of encouraging career progression, according to the chair of West Midlands Police Federation.

The Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) agreed to remove the lowest pay point on the sergeants’ pay scale and this came into effect with the annual pay rise on 1 September. This means there is now a bigger gap between the top pay point of the constables’ pay scale and the bottom point of the sergeants’ pay scale.

The change was made predominantly to address the issue of recruiting constables into the rank of sergeant as some viewed the increase in pay under the previous pay scale insufficient to make them want to strive to attain the higher rank.

Jon Nott, West Midlands branch chair, said: “We welcome this change to the pay scales as it is a positive way of encouraging career progression and, we hope, will go some way to incentivising PCs to consider seeking promotion.”

The following approach has been taken to implement the removal of the lowest sergeants’ pay point and to ensure there is no leapfrogging:

• Pay point 1 on the sergeants’ pay scale is removed with effect from 1 September 2020
• On 1 September 2020 all sergeants who were on pay point 1 were moved to pay point 2; this will become their new incremental date (i.e. they will move to pay point 3 on 1 September 2021 having reckoned 12 months’ service on that pay point and subject to a satisfactory PDR or equivalent)
• Constables promoted to sergeant after 1 September 2020 will be placed on what was pay point 2 and will move to the next pay point once they have completed 12 months’ service on that pay point and subject to a satisfactory PDR or equivalent. (This will usually be the anniversary of their promotion but may be earlier if they have previously undertaken periods of temporary promotion in the rank of sergeant)
• There will be no change to incremental progression in respect to pay points 3 and 4, i.e. officers must complete 12 months’ service at each pay point and subject to a satisfactory PDR or equivalent.