Members urged to take part in pay and morale surveys

21 January 2019

Just 15 per cent of West Midlands Police Federation members took part in the 2019 pay and morale survey.

The survey is carried out among all 43 Federation branches in England and Wales by the national Federation with the findings being used in negotiations with police leaders and the Government.

“The response rate among our members was low last year,” says Rich Cooke, chair of West Midlands Police Federation, “I get that members feel a bit surveyed out and it’s just another thing to do when they are already rushed off their feet. However, we need as many members as possible to take the time to fill out these questionnaires so that we can negotiate effectively on their behalf with the back-up of strong evidence.”

The national response rate for the survey was 22 per cent.

Despite the low turn-out, Rich believes the findings are indicative of the overall views of the membership.

Headline findings from West Midlands Police Federation members were:

77 per cent of respondents said they are dissatisfied with their overall remuneration (including basic pay and allowances)
41.8 per cent reported worrying about the state of their personal finances every day or almost every day
76.1 per cent felt they were worse off financially than they were five years ago
10.9 per cent of respondents reported never or almost never having enough money to cover all their essentials
64.5 per cent said their morale is currently low
97.6 per cent felt morale within the Force is currently low
74.5 per cent said they would not recommend joining the police to others.
11.8 per cent reported they intended to leave the police service either within the next two years or as soon as possible.

More details of the survey findings will appear in the next edition of the Federation magazine.