Pay and conditions hit officer morale
16 February 2022
More than three out of five West Midlands Police officers say their morale is low with pay and conditions among the key factors, according to a new Police Federation report.
The Federation’s annual pay and morale survey found that 61 per cent of West Midlands respondents felt their morale was low, up from 52 per cent on the previous year’s survey, and higher than the national average of 58 per cent. A total of 88 per cent of officers feel that morale in the Force is low.
The report found that the biggest contributor to low morale was the way police were treated by the Government (95 per cent), how the police are treated by the public (87 per cent), and pay (85 per cent). Other factors included pensions (76 per cent), the pandemic (64 per cent), and workload and responsibilities (62 per cent).
On the issue of pay and remuneration, 44 per cent of respondents worried about the state of their personal finances while 12 per cent reported not having enough money to cover all essentials.
West Midlands Police Federation deputy chair Sam Hughes said: “This report makes grim reading and should serve as a wake-up call for the Government and decision-makers.
“It’s disgusting that so many of our members have to deal with the stress and trauma of their role and then have to deal with additional money worries when they get home.
“There are officers who have had to ask for help with providing food for their families, which is a direct impact of no increase in salary, escalating domestic fuel bills which leads to people having to choose whether to buy food or fuel and the recent notification of possible vehicle fuel cost rises due to the current world issues.
“Our members are under huge pressure to deliver, but with cuts to resources and ever-increasing demands, the burden is becoming intolerable for some.”
In addition to findings on pay and morale, the survey also revealed that 48 per cent of West Midlands officers did not feel they were fairly treated. This was the sixth highest level across the 43 forces of England and Wales.
Key figures from the West Midlands survey:
Pay and remuneration
- 81 per cent of respondents from West Midlands Police said that they are dissatisfied with their overall remuneration (including basic pay and allowances)
- 44 per cent of respondents from West Midlands Police reported worrying about the state of their personal finances every day or almost every day
- 78 per cent of respondents from West Midlands Police felt that they were worse off financially than they were five years ago – the sixth highest in the country
- 12 per cent of respondents from West Midlands Police reported never or almost never having enough money to cover all their essentials.
Morale and engagement
- 61 per cent said that their morale is currently low
- 88 per cent felt that morale within the force is currently low
- 70 per cent said that they would not recommend joining the police to others
- 94 per cent that they do not feel respected by the Government
- 13 per cent said they had an intention to leave the police service either within the next two years or as soon as possible.
Workload and working time
- 5 per cent said that they have never or rarely been able to take at least one rest day per week in the last 12 months
- 61 per cent said that over the last 12 months, their workload has been too high or much too high.
Sam said: “We need the Government to act now or we risk losing many more of our colleagues. As a Federation, we’re calling on the Government to work with us on a new, independent fair pay mechanism that delivers a binding outcome to restore trust in the process.
“We’re also calling on the Government to ensure officers receive a meaningful pay increase after years of real-terms cuts to wages.”
