Federation reveals results of 2024 pay and morale survey

1 May 2025

77% of Devon & Cornwall Police officers feel ‘worse off’ financially now than they were five years ago and 17% ‘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 - 87% of respondents have seen living cost increases in the previous month and 65% of officers are dissatisfied with their pay.

Worryingly, 23% of Devon & Cornwall Police officers 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. 92% of Devon & Cornwall officers said they do not feel respected by the Government, and 57% said they were experiencing low morale.

73% of respondents from Devon & Cornwall Police said that they would not recommend joining the police to others. 71% said they do not feel valued within the service.

Rob Greening Secretary of Devon & Cornwall Police Federation, said: “The pay and morale survey for Devon and Cornwall Police makes stark reading and unfortunately, when compared to previous years, the situation does not seem to be improving.

“Our members work in extremely stressful and dangerous situations, to afford the public the safety and protection they expect and deserve. Governments, over the years, do not seem to have provided the Police service with the same level of commitment and have allowed Police officer pay to reduce in real terms by over 20%.

“Our members are aware that public finances over the past 15 years have been pushed and that they should bear some responsibility for cuts that have to be made. However, 15 years of cutbacks and low funding by governments have bought us to the position we now find ourselves in.”

He added: “We cannot afford to lose the experience within the front line of policing. The protection of the public depends on officers knowing their job and being able to pick up on the small clues, which may indicate a member of the public is in danger.

“Workloads for officers are unmanageable and this is when mistakes are made and tell tale signs are missed.

“Officer numbers have risen since 2010 by about 4,000 yet the UK population has increased by 5.5 Million. Investigations have become far more complex as technology advances and the case files officers produce, to ensure offenders are charged to court, have become unnecessarily complicated and timely to complete.

“There has been a perfect storm brewing for the last 15 years and it has now hit land. Officers are not willing to put up with the continued increasing expectations and heavy workloads, lack of perceived respect from the government, constant pay awards that are below the rate of inflation and they are voting with their feet. Our members join the police to serve the public and keep them safe, but currently feel that they are not able to do this to the best of their ability.

“If the government want a Police service they can be proud of then we need to retain the experienced officers, to enable them to impart their wisdom to those with less experience.

“To do this there are many changes that need to be made, however a quick win for the Government is to sit up and listen to the officers. Some officers are having to use foodbanks, others struggle to pay their rent. This should not be the case.

“An officer should not spend their working life worrying about the safety and security of others, putting their life on the line to ensure this, doing all they can to protect the public and then return home and worry about how they will pay for their family’s next meal.

“What the Police take home is criminal. Officers have copped enough. Things need to change.”

Officers are coming under attack from the public too, the report showed, with 15% having suffered one or more injuries that required medical attention as a result of work-related violence in the last year.

Only 12% of officers who responded reported having access to double crewing at all times whilst on duty.

69% of respondents from Devon & Cornwall Police said that over the last 12 months, their workload has been ‘too high’ or ‘much too high’. 5% 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 32% said they feel ‘always’ or ‘often’ feel pressured into working long hours.

Sadly, 81% of respondents from Devon & Cornwall Police 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 48% said that they find their job ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ stressful.

The survey is based on 1024 responses received from Devon & Cornwall Police officers.