Copped Enough: branch chair urges the public to back police campaign

1 May 2025

Branch chair Rob Bowles has given his backing to a national campaign exposing the pay crisis and rising dangers facing police officers.

Copped Enough: What the Police Take Home is Criminal has been launched by the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) today on International Workers’ Day (1 May).

It is a result of officers' real pay dropping by 20 per cent since 2010, despite being increasingly exposed to trauma and danger.

Rob said: “Our members are overworked, underpaid and under threat. It is leading to thousands of experienced, high-quality officers resigning from the service, which is a threat to policing and a massive drain on the public purse.

“Losing experienced officers costs taxpayers billions of pounds a year and costs lives.

“If the Government thinks fair pay for police officers is too expensive, it needs to calculate the cost of a broken police service.”

The Copped Enough campaign calls for action in three areas:

1. Restore police pay

Urgent and fully-funded pay restoration
Introduce a ‘P-Factor’ allowance to reflect the unique demands and risks of policing
A binding, independent pay review system, free from political interference

2. Stop the exodus of experienced officers

Develop retention packages for skilled officers
Implement a national workforce strategy focused on experience, not just recruitment numbers
Improve work-life balance with better parental leave, protected rest days, and career transition support

3. Protect Frontline Officers

Enforce tougher sentencing for those who assault police
Centralised funding for police treatment centres, not out of police officers pockets
Mandatory national recording of suicides and suicide attempts in the service, with dedicated mental health support

The campaign has been launched on the same day as the latest Pay and Morale Survey results have been released.

In North Yorkshire, the survey showed that 72 per cent of respondents felt worse off financially than five years ago.

The survey also showed that for officers in North Yorkshire:

86 per cent of participants feel their cost of living has increased in the last month
60 per cent said that they are ‘dissatisfied’ or ‘very dissatisfied’ with their overall remuneration (including basic pay and allowances).
91 per cent feel that morale in Force is ‘low’ or ‘very low’
84 per cent have experienced stress, low mood or anxiety over the last 12 months
77 per cent don’t feel valued in policing
91 per cent admit to not feeling valued by the Government

Rob said: “This is the latest in a long line of surveys which show the pressures that rank and file officers are under, both in policing and away from the frontline.

“Our members have Copped Enough, and I urge the public to get behind our men and women and back policing.”

North Yorkshire Police Federation stands united with the national campaign and calls on local MPs, chief officers, and community leaders to back police officers by delivering the fair pay and support they urgently need.

As part of the campaign, the public is being urged to stand with police and their families by joining a digital picket line at www.polfed.org/campaigns/copped-enough