Leicestershire  Police Federation

Chairman's Blog: Police officer pay

27 June 2022

 

Chairman's Blog: Police officer pay

 

New Police officers starting in the job today start on less money than over 10 years ago. Police officers are using food banks. I have friends in tears because the increase in gas, electricity and fuel…

Adam Commons, Chair of Leicestershire Police Federation, blogs on Police Officer pay.

It’s been a difficult few weeks as I keep being asked by colleagues ‘how much will we get, I need it to be a good one…’ The honest answer is I don’t know, and we won’t find out until the announcement we presume in July.

“But I am genuinely scared what that figure will be given the rhetoric coming from the Prime Minister himself who has claimed public sector workers were well rewarded to recognise the work we did during the worst of the pandemic.

“Let me remind him, we were not looked after.

“For over 10 years our pay didn’t even keep up with ‘normal’ inflation and we suffered a number of pay freezes meaning in real terms our pay is over 20% behind where it needs to be.

“New Police officers starting in the job today start on less money than over 10 years ago.

Police officers are using food banks. I have friends in tears because the increase in gas, electricity and fuel mean they are at tipping point and we are hurtling to a policing crisis not seen since 1978 when the Edmund-Davies report recommended police pay increased between 30-45% because we could no longer recruit people into the job.

“That is not far away. Recruitment is slowing down, the interest is not there in the numbers we have previously seen, because quite frankly who wants to take the risks of this job for the pittance on offer.

“I don’t expect much of a response from the Government because I think they live in a different world of second homes, expense claims and denial. They are no longer capable of keeping the country safe by providing a well funded Police and Criminal Justice system.

“While my colleagues make tough decisions today on whether to put fuel in the car or buying something to eat, our Government are buying their lunch on expenses. Wake up, deal with this before it gets worse and #PayOurPolice.”