Chair's Update - February 2026

26 February 2026

In Wiltshire Police Federation we don’t use social media at this time. I quite like social media, but it does tend to get taken over by a few, and I wanted to ensure I reach as many people as I can. Feedback is always appreciated about how we communicate. These messages I write are intentionally brief, but more detail can always be provided. Let me know.

National

The pay review process for 2026/2027 is now under way. This has started with the Policing Minister Sarah Jones writing to the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) to make its recommendations. Submissions were made to the PRRB last year and this resulted in a 4.2% increase for all ranks up to Chief Superintendent as well as enhancement for allowances for on call, away from home and hardship allowances. Within the letter from the Policing Minister there is reference to the difficult decisions that the government had to make to afford the funding to forces which included taking money from elsewhere in the home office budget. My assessment is that they are making it clear that funding is tight, nevertheless, the Federation will ensure that the reasons for fair pay are heard loud and clear. This is aligned to the Copped Enough campaign which I have written to you about before.

Copped Enough

Wiltshire

The force will publicise outcomes from misconduct hearings. Whilst this is not always comfortable to read, it is within the conduct regs that such hearings are to be in public, and that the outcomes should be published. The Force often puts a narrative on their social media posts, often in relation to public confidence. Within Wiltshire these should also be placed on General Orders. Last month an officer received a Written Warning (misconduct outcome) whereas the original allegation had been at Gross Misconduct level. The officer had been suspended from the force for over a year. There are several factors to this, but the impact on the officer in such circumstances can’t be understated. This is balanced with individuals who first raised concern. They must also be supported, in themselves, but also in raising the matter in the first place. What is clear is that such allegations need to be assessed at a consistent level, and then also dealt with in a timely manner.

The second case I wanted to write to you about was that of an Officer dismissed in April 2025. The Officer, supported by the Federation, appealed against the case. This went to a process called the Police Appeals Tribunal. The appeal was upheld on two grounds, that the original finding that Officer’s behaviour was at the ‘upper end’ of seriousness was unreasonable, and that the decision to dismiss him was unreasonable. This was what we were fighting for. To be clear, the Officer always admitted to his behaviour and that he acknowledged the seriousness of this and the impact. The Tribunal re-instated the Officer to Wiltshire Police and replaced the decision to dismiss with a reduction in rank from Sergeant to Constable. The process of bringing the Officer back into the force is ongoing, and whilst it is taking longer than it should, I recognise that they will soon start to add the value that I know he can to Wiltshire Police.

Overtime. There have been a number of rejections for overtime over the last two months. This is due to the incorrect code being entered onto the system when this is being recorded by the officer. The force has acknowledged the issue, and it has been raised that rejections of overtime are taking far too long. In some cases, a month after the application, the officer is being informed the code is incorrect. Whilst an officer has responsibility to be accurate, the force should be able to highlight any issues in a timely manner and the officer informed, allowing them to amend the submission. Work is ongoing with finance to address this to remove the issue, so the officer is not asked to specifically write the code but highlight it from a drop down menu to ensure accuracy.

Promotion processes. There are too many officers that are in Acting or Temporary roles for too long a period. The Federation is pushing for promotion processes to be in place to reduce this. There is support from the force in this, for which I am obliged. That said, we have been here before. We need consistent and fair processes and timescales for the future.

There is always more I can write about, as we are working at pace and in detail to represent you, especially at a time that we are seeing significant change. If there is something missing, let me know.

Joe Saunders

Branch Chair

Wiltshire Police Federation