Better pay for officers will help with retention crisis as figures show voluntary resignations hit record levels

26 July 2024

A pay rise would help us retain experienced and skilled officers, says the chair of West Midlands Police Federation.

Rich Cooke’s comments come after The Telegraph reported that the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) will recommend the five per cent pay award which, if agreed by the Government, would come into effect in September.

But he warned that if a sufficient pay rise was not forthcoming, and unfairness in Pension provisions know as the “Pension Trap” was not rectified soon the current retention crisis would only accelerate says Rich.

He said: “It’s no secret that police forces are struggling to retain talented, skilled and experienced police officers. Nationally, in the year to March over 5,000 quit, record levels in modern times. The role is like no other - current demands on cops have reached ridiculous levels years ago and that’s what we’ve been juggling ever since; no surprise then many bobbies have decided enough is enough and walked away - the pressure on officers is exhausting, and our members are burnt out.”

Dissatisfied

According to the latest Pay and Morale Survey results, 85 per cent of respondents from West Midlands Police said that they were ‘dissatisfied or ‘very dissatisfied’ with their overall remuneration, including basic pay and allowances.

In addition, 89 per cent of respondents from West Midlands Police felt that they were worse off financially than they were five years ago, with 20 per cent reporting that they ‘never’ or ‘almost never’ having enough money to cover all their essentials.

“The bottom line is, police pay needs to be reflective of the type of policing the country needs. That is intelligent multi-skilled professionals; fit, flexible and able to adapt quickly, prepared to make personal sacrifice for the greater good. Those kind of individuals are in high demand already.

"Policing should be a very attractive role, respected in society, while we know we are never going to be rich, a decent level of financial security is all we ask. So pay isn’t the only factor to impact officer retention, but it plays a huge role and says so much more about how we are valued,” continued Rich.

“If the report is accurate then a five per cent pay rise has been recommended. This would be more than inflation, but it must surely be given the drastic real terms decline we have seen, and are seeing the tangible consequence of – trained officers leaving policing altogether.

Trade Union

“According to research by the Social Market Foundation Caught out: Trends in police pay in the UK - Social Market Foundation. (smf.co.uk), police pay has declined by an average 20 per cent in real terms pay since 2000. That’s an average across ranks, actually Constables have been hit hardest of all. The Government should be putting a long-term pay restoration plan in place, which focuses on restoring police pay to the levels it should be but over a period of time.”

The Police Federation of England and Wales no longer makes a submission to PRRB, saying it is not fit for purpose and is not independent.

Rich confirmed that even if accepted, it would not change the Federation’s decision to launch a campaign for a new mechanism for determining officer pay awards which should include collective bargaining and access to binding arbitration in recognition of the unique restrictions placed on police officers who cannot join a trade union or strike.

“The patience of our members is wearing thin - results from the recent nationwide industrial rights poll demonstrated this,” he said, adding: “The current pay review process is not independent of government which sets its remit, telling the review body what it can consider, and then also reserves the right to ignore any recommendations it makes.”

"We will give a full report on the PRRB recommendations when the report is published."

NOTE: In the year to March, 5,151 officers left the Police after a voluntary resignation.