PCC urged to help tackle low officer morale

9 May 2024

West Midlands Police’s newly-elected Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) is being urged to get behind police officers and do everything in his powers to combat low morale within the Force.

The call comes from West Midlands Police Federation secretary Tim Rogers who was speaking after Simon Foster secured his second four-year term as PCC following last Thursday’s elections.

Mr Foster, the Labour Party candidate, received 327,844 votes, beating Conservative Tom Byrne who received 241,827.

“I would urge Mr Foster to use this second term of office to do everything in his powers to tackle the low morale that is having such an impact on police officers and the Force as a whole,” said Tim.

“The Federation’s latest pay and morale survey revealed that 88 per cent of our Federation members felt morale in the Force was low or very low and 58 per cent felt their personal morale was low or very low.

Simon Foster secured his second four-year term as PCC.

“In addition, 96 per cent said they do not feel respected by the Government and 97 per cent said the way the Government treats policing has impacted on their morale. Other factors affecting morale included how the police are treated by the public, pay and benefits, workload and responsibilities, and pensions.

“In recent years, we have witnessed a decline in proactive policing and officers are increasingly afraid to use their powers & initiative for fear of complaints and facing a more arbitrary misconduct process. 

“During Mr Foster’s first term in office the fate of more of our precious stations which will now close was sealed, making us less accessible to the public we serve and further damaging the critical links we need with our communities. We appreciate there are no easy choices, but we must have the infrastructure - both bricks and mortar as well as human, tutors constables, for example, to support the influx of new recruits.”

The Force is coming to terms with being placed in special measures by the inspectorate and this too has had an impact on officers.

Tim added: “We fully appreciate that some of these issues are not in the PCC’s hands, but there are areas that he could look at that would go some way to boosting morale and making officers feel that their hard work and commitment to serving their communities is appreciated.

“We would welcome the opportunity to sit down with Mr Foster to discuss his plans for tackling the current crisis in policing and getting behind officers more. We would, of course, be happy to share our own ideas for how he might do that.

“But, first and foremost, we need a long-term strategy for sustained investment in policing and we hope that Mr Foster may be able to use the voice he has been given by being elected as our PCC to press home the need for politicians to address that.”

Tim has also called on the PCC to be more vocal in explaining the limits that under-investment from central Government puts on the policing service the Force can provide.

“Mr Foster has been vocal in the past in complaining about the funding settlement from the Government, saying that it leaves him, and the Force, short of the money needed to keep the communities of the West Midlands safe. But I think he also needs to be more open in spelling out precisely what the Force can’t do because of this poor funding,” he explains.

“He has to use the platform the public have bestowed upon him to expose the reality of the Government’s funding deficits and the false marketing of the recruitment uplift debacle as well as deal with the bi-product of this - the low morale.”

Mr Foster, who was first elected as PCC in 2021, will serve four years in office. 

On being re-elected, he said: “The only honour and privilege greater than being elected by our fellow citizens is to be re-elected by your fellow citizens.” 

READ MORE: Prostate cancer screening to be introduced.