Officers’ concern over pay and morale

9 August 2018

Leicestershire officers responding to an annual national survey on pay and morale have painted a worrying picture of their feelings, according to Federation branch secretary Matt Robinson.

The survey, carried out by the Police Federation of England and Wales, revealed:

• 89.2 per cent of respondents from Leicestershire Police felt that morale within the Force is currently low with 57.7 per cent reporting their own morale was low
• 86.5 per cent said they do not feel they are paid fairly for the stresses and strains of the job
• 72 per cent said they are dissatisfied with their overall remuneration – including basic pay and allowances, and
• 69.9 per cent said they would not recommend joining the police to others, though only 7.3 per cent said they intended to leave the service in the next two years
• 41.2 per cent reported worrying about the state of their personal finances every day or almost every day.

However, only about 15 per cent of Leicestershire Police Federation members took part in the survey. This equates to 270 officers.

“While I am disappointed that such a relatively low number of members completed this survey, we do need to see the results as a snapshot of the current feelings of officers,” says Matt.

“I think, in all fairness to the Force, most members’ dissatisfaction is down to the Government cuts. Officers have seen their workload increase to such an extent that they are buckling under the pressure. With reduced funding, we have seen officer numbers fall at a time when demand has gone through the roof.

“Police officers join up to serve and protect but they are struggling to provide an effective service and, as the pressures mounts, we are seeing more and more of our members suffering stress and other mental health related issues.”

The three main reasons Leicestershire officers gave for low morale were how the police as a whole are treated (87.3 per cent), management of change (85.5 per cent) and pay and benefits, including pension (69.9 per cent).

The Leicestershire results.