Federation reveals results of 2024 pay and morale survey

1 May 2025

76% of Cumbria Constabulary feel ‘worse off’ financially now than they were five years ago and 10% ‘never’ or ‘almost never’ have enough money to cover all their essentials.

According to the 2024 Police Federation of England and Wales Pay and Morale Report – published today - 86% of respondents have seen living cost increases in the previous month and 56% of officers are dissatisfied with their pay.

Worryingly, 26% of Cumbria Constabulary who responded to the survey said they intend to resign from the police service either ‘within the next two years’ or ‘as soon as [they] can’.

Whilst Police Officers received a 4.75% pay rise in 2024, officer pay has reduced by a fifth since 2010.

Nationally 76% of officers responding to the PFEW Pay and Morale survey say their pay does not reflect the dangers they face and a third of officers struggle to afford essentials such as food, rent, or heating.

Officers are also struggling with low morale and lack of support, the survey found. 91% of Cumbria Constabulary said they do not feel respected by the Government, and 61% said they were experiencing low morale.

78% of respondents from Cumbria Constabulary said that they would not recommend joining the police to others. 74% said they do not feel valued within the service.

Officers are coming under attack from the public too, the report showed, with 17% having suffered one or more injuries that required medical attention as a result of work-related violence in the last year.

Only 14% of officers who responded reported having access to double crewing at all times whilst on duty.

75% of respondents from Cumbria Constabulary said that over the last 12 months, their workload has been ‘too high’ or ‘much too high’. 7% of officers said that they have ‘never’ or ‘rarely’ been able to take an 11-hour break between shifts in the last 12 months and 44% said they feel ‘always’ or ‘often’ feel pressured into working long hours.

Sadly, 83% of respondents from Cumbria Constabulary indicated that they had experienced feelings of stress, low mood, anxiety, or other difficulties with their health and wellbeing over the last 12 months, and 53% said that they find their job ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ stressful.

The survey is based on 445 responses received from Cumbria Constabulary officers.