Federation warns no change means retention crisis will continue
South Wales Police Federation has warned that the retention crisis will continue without fair pay for rank and file officers.
Branch chair Phil Walker said that policing would struggle to recruit and, crucially, retain good officers unless they are paid properly.
He was speaking after the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) recommended an annual pay uplift of 3.8 per cent for officers in its submission to the Police Remuneration Review Board (PRRB).
Phil said: “The is an underwhelming recommendation that will continue to leave our members hugely out of pocket in comparison to 10 years ago.
“Police pay is significantly below where it was pre-austerity. It’s having a real-life impact on our members, with one in five telling us in our Pay and Morale Survey they do not have enough money to cover their essentials.
“It’s an appalling situation and one of the reasons that we’re struggling to retain our brightest, best, and most experienced officers.
"The government still has a chance to act and restore police pay and ease the retention crisis.”
The staff associations for chief officers and superintendents and chief superintendents have recommended a pay uplift of 4.8 per cent.
Phil said it highlighted a disconnect between senior officers and frontline police.
Terrible message
“It sends out a terrible message that the most senior officers, who are already among the best remunerated in policing, are worthy of a bigger pay rise than rank and file officers, many of whom are struggling to make ends meet,” he said.
“It suggests they don’t understand the issues facing our members and feels like a huge kick in the teeth.”
The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) no longer makes a submission to the PRRB, saying it is not fit for purpose and does not offer an independent pay award mechanism.
After a nationwide survey last year, members called on PFEW to campaign for industrial rights – specifically for a fair process of collective bargaining and binding arbitration - after a nationwide poll.
Phil said: “The system is broken and needs overhauling.
“It can’t be right that these discussions about our members’ pay are going on without significant and meaningful input from those who represent them.
Career
“And it can’t be right that we have no rights to challenge the recommendations and, ultimately, the pay awards when they are made.
“Our members see what happens in other public services, who receive higher pay awards. Is it any wonder, then, that they feel undervalued and look for a career elsewhere?”
Assistant Chief Officer Philip Wells at Bedfordshire Police is the NPCC lead for pay and conditions.
He said: “Below-market starting salaries for constables and real-term pay cuts for officers pose a significant challenge to attracting and retaining talented police officers.
“To deliver against the Government’s Safer Streets Mission and Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee we need to recruit, build and retain skills, attracting those people with the aptitude but also values and standards we need in policing.
“Our recommendations recognise the significant financial pressure facing both forces and government, whilst advocating for the critical need for a funded uplift in officer pay which reflects the incredibly challenging nature of the job.”