Concern over pay and morale survey results

2 December 2020

A new survey which found more than half of West Midlands Police Federation members have low morale has been described as “hugely concerning” by Federation branch chair Jon Nott.

The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) today published its annual pay and morale survey, which found that 52 per cent of West Midlands respondents feel their morale was low or very low.

This is the seventh highest level in the country and is set against a national average of 48 per cent. But this is still an improvement on last year’s survey in which 59 per cent of members reported low morale.

The survey also found that 86 per cent of respondents felt morale in the Force was low or very low, compared to 95 per cent last year. Nationally, the figure was 75 per cent.

Jon said: “It’s been an incredibly tough year and the pandemic has clearly had an effect on everyone’s lives. Police officers have been on the frontline throughout, they’ve protected and served the public, and they’ve continued to perform their every day roles as well.

“In responding to this survey, they’ve raised real fears and worries about their morale and their pay, and some of the results are hugely concerning.

“While we are pleased to see that there has been an improvement in morale since last year’s survey it is still unacceptable that more than half of our members are suffering with low morale which will have a serious impact on their wellbeing.

“As a Federation, we will be discussing this survey with chief officers and we will work with the Force to address the issues it highlights though we acknowledge that police officer pay and pensions are both matters which have to be tackled on a national basis.”

The survey was carried out across all 43 forces in England and Wales giving more than 130,000 Federation members their first opportunity to provide detailed feedback on how policing the pandemic had affected their finances and wellbeing. It revealed:

• 42 per cent of respondents from West Midlands Police felt the Force has managed officers well during the pandemic, against a national average of 49 per cent
• 72 per cent said West Midlands Police had kept them up to date with Covid-19-related guidance, the figure nationally was 78 per cent
• Just under a third (32 per cent) said they had received adequate training on the crisis versus 41 per cent across the country.

Other key findings in from West Midlands Police Federation members were:

Pay and remuneration

• 83 per cent of respondents said they don’t feel they’re paid fairly for the stresses and strains of the job, and 76 per cent said that they’re not fairly paid for the hazards they faced. Nationally, the figures were 86 per cent and 77 per cent respectively
• 72 per cent said they were dissatisfied with their overall remuneration, including pay and allowances
• 35 per cent worried about the state of their finances daily or almost daily, lower than the national figure of 37 per cent
• 58 per cent felt they were worse off financially than they were five years ago
• Seven per cent reported never or almost never having enough money to cover their essentials.

Morale

• The top reasons given for low morale were how the police are treated as a whole (93 per cent), pay and benefits (74 per cent), pension (73 per cent) and the Covid-19 crisis (69 per cent).

Attitudes towards the police

• Two thirds of respondents (67 per cent) said they did not feel valued in the police compared to 57 per cent nationally
• 44 per cent felt they weren’t treated fairly, the second highest figure in the country
• 65 per cent said they wouldn’t recommend joining the police to others, the third highest figure in the country.

Recruitment drive

• 29 per cent felt the Force would be able to recruit the number of officers allocated to the West Midlands as part of the Government’s plans to boost officer numbers by 20,000 over a three-year programme.

The survey was compiled by the national Federation’s research and policy department, which plays a vital part in providing strategically important evidence to achieve better pay and conditions for members.

It generated more than 25,000 responses which is around 20 per cent of all Federated rank officers across England and Wales.

National Federation chair John Apter said: “These results should give serious concern to chief constables and to government.

“The low morale reported by officers comes as no surprise, but the police service needs to take its head out of the sand and acknowledge we have a serious issue.

“My colleagues take the time to fill in these surveys and give their honest views, so it would be a failing by police leaders to ignore what is being said.

“This year, more than ever, officers have been put under significant pressure, dealing with the day job as well as policing the constantly changing Covid rules.

“Despite doing their very best, they have been turned into the villains of this pandemic by some, damned whatever they do; and this constant criticism takes its toll.

“While it might come as a surprise to some, police officers are human beings; they have their own worries about the virus and the fear that they take it home to their families.

“I accept that the wellbeing of police officers is considered more now than it has ever been in the past, there is some good work going on in some forces, but the benefits of this good work are still not being felt by all of our members and that is a serious issue.

“This must be seen for what it is, a cry for help from police officers who need to ensure their voice is heard. If these results are ignored by police leaders, then this will be a failing that will be unforgivable.”