Morale in North Yorkshire Police remains low, says new report

1 May 2025

Three fifths (60 per cent) of officers who took part in the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) Pay and Morale Survey 2024 said their personal morale was low or very low, a two per cent rise on last year.

In North Yorkshire, 21 per cent of respondents said they intended to leave within the next two years, in line with last year’s figure. Nationally, 23 per cent indicated the same.

The most frequently cited reasons for leaving were morale, the impact of the job on mental health and wellbeing, and the impact of the job on physical health and wellbeing (81 per cent, 77 per cent and 69 per cent, respectively).

North Yorkshire Police Federation chair Rob Bowles said the figures needed to serve as ‘a wake-up call’.

He said: “These figures are hugely concerning, but not surprising.

“Years of poor treatment of police officers by successive governments has led us to a point where almost a quarter of officers in the country are thinking of leaving the service.

Protect the public

“This is the latest in a long line of reports that highlight huge discontent among rank and file officers due to poor pay and conditions, huge workloads and being assaulted just for doing their jobs. The list goes on of issues goes on.

“How many more reports do we need before the government acts?”

The survey found that 67 per cent of North Yorkshire Police respondents were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their remuneration, above the national figure of 65 per cent. More than one in 10 (11 per cent) reported never or almost never having enough money to cover their essentials. Nationally, the figure was 15 per cent.

Rob said: “It’s appalling that we ask police officers to protect the public, but that so many of them do not have enough money at the end of the month to keep the wolves from the door.

“Is it any wonder that many are thinking of taking their considerable skillset elsewhere?”

Other local results from the Federation’s Pay and Morale Survey include:

4 per cent said they have never or rarely been able to take an 11-hour break between shifts in the last 12 months
44 per cent said they find their job very or extremely stressful, the same as the national figure
84 per cent indicated they had experienced feelings of stress, low mood, anxiety, or other difficulties with their health and wellbeing over the last 12 months
36 per cent have experienced verbal insults (e.g., swearing, shouting, abuse) at least once per week in the past 12 months.
14 per cent reported that they had suffered one or more injuries that required medical attention as a result of work-related violence in the last year.
91 per cent do not feel respected by the government
79 per cent said they would not recommend joining the police to others

Rob said: “It is a terrible indictment of the morale of our members that almost four out of five would not recommend policing to others.

“I still believe it is the best job in the world but increasingly it is looking less and less attractive for new recruits and more and more difficult to retain our experienced officers.

“Something has to change and this report needs to serve as a wake-up call.”

Wake-up call

A national campaign has been launched by the Police Federation of England and Wales which aims to expose the crisis in policing that is endangering officers' lives and putting public safety at risk.

Copped Enough: What the Police Take Home is Criminal calls on the public to support police and their families by joining a ‘digital picket line’ in protest at www.polfed.org/campaigns/copped-enough

The campaign calls for immediate action on three key areas:

Restore police pay

Urgent, fully-funded action on fair pay
Full recognition of an army-style P-Factor allowance recognising the unique risks of policing
Implement a binding, independent pay review system to remove political interference

Stop the mass exodus of experienced officers

Provide a retention package to keep skilled officers in policing
Develop a workforce plan focused on retention, not just recruitment
Support work-life balance, including protecting rest days, improved parental leave and transition support

Protect officers on the frontline

Enforce stronger sentencing for assaults on police officers
Fund police treatment centres centrally
Provide robust mental health support, including mandatory national recording of suicides and attempted suicides

Backing the campaign, Rob said: “Police officers put up with more than most but too many have just Copped Enough.

“Without urgent action to restore fair pay and protect welfare, we face a dangerous loss of experience and a direct threat to the safety of our communities.”

Find out more about the Copped Enough campaign.

Read the North Yorkshire Pay and Morale Survey in full.