Low-paid officers struggling to cover the essentials, claims PFEW

More than one in ten officers feel they are not paid enough to make ends meet, according to the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW). Ten per cent of respondents to the PFEW’s pay and morale survey said they regularly lack the money to cover basic essentials such as food. This rate rose to one in six for officers in their first two years of service. Nearly three quarters of respondents said they felt worse off financially than they did five years ago. PFEW General Secretary Andy Fittes said the findings “make for uncomfortable reading”. “We know officers are struggling, with some using food vouchers, which is frankly not acceptable for those employed to keep us safe or in fact any public sector worker,” he said. “We have continually warned that policing is in a critical condition; government budget cuts mean fewer officers and diminished resources, yet crime and demand for the service is continually rising. “Our officers are under immense pressure to deliver, more now than ever with the constant threat of terrorism, and all they want is to be adequately paid.” Police constable salaries in England and Wales start between £19,000 and £22,000, rising to around £38,000 at the top end of the pay scale. The PFEW has previously raised concerns that officers training on new apprenticeship programmes could face a further pay reduction compared with their colleagues. Seventy-two per cent of respondents to the PFEW’s poll said they were dissatisfied with their salary – the highest level since the survey began. More than 86 per cent reported feeling unfairly paid given the stress they face at work. The PFEW has submitted a claim for a 2.8 per cent pay rise to the Police Remuneration Review Body, above the one per cent public sector cap. This year’s pay award announcement will be made in September instead of July after being pushed back by the Home Office. PFEW chair Steve White said the delay was “simply not good enough”.