Policing will be in serious trouble if the Government doesn't compensate officers fairly for what they do, the Civil Nuclear Police Federation has said.
The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) has called on the Government for a minimum 17% pay rise for police officers this year. It came to the figure after a report by the independent think tank Social Market Foundation (SMF) showed that police officer pay had declined by 17% in real terms since 2000. The SMF research also found that police pay fared badly when compared to other protective services and public sector workers, whose pay rose by 1% and 14% respectively over the same period.
The report also claimed that the decline in police pay is likely to be linked to the restrictions on their right to strike. And it added that if the current police pay trend continued, officer remuneration would drop by a further 4% in real terms by 2027.
The Civil Nuclear Police Federation's Vice Chair, Darren Adams, said: "Over the past 20 years there's been a 17% real-terms pay reduction for police and if it continues to 2027 it's going to be another 4% on top. So, it might sound like a huge pay deal that PFEW is asking for, but it's only asking for what's been lost".
"Police Officers are struggling as a result of low pay - This is especially felt by Police Officers who are new in to the police service".
"But, more and more the impact of the current cost of living crisis is affecting all officers and making the police service less desirable".
"Adding the fact, we've seen other private and public sector workers negotiating pay rises tells you what we've always known - that there's a direct correlation between having the ability to take industrial action and seeing fair pay increases."
The report also found that a key factor in discussions over police pay should be what it called the "P-factor": an element of police pay that reflects the unique obligations and responsibilities police officers experience relative to other comparable roles. This includes their unique risk of exposure to physical and psychological harm, alongside the restrictions that are placed upon their private lives.
Darren said: "The P-factor is an important consideration. Modern policing comes with a huge responsibility and it has the unique situations where police officers are exposed to potentially dangerous incidents daily, willing to put themselves in harm's way to protect the members of the public. We also cannot forget the restrictions Police Officers face in relation to their private life, being held accountable whilst on or off duty. Currently pay is failing to reimburse police officers for the P-factor."
He continued: "My message to the Government is that policing is in real and serious trouble. They are using our using the lack of our ability to take industrial action and using it as a pay ransom. But officers are now fed up and if it doesn't listen and compensate police officers fairly for what they do. They can expect to see highly qualified police officers leave for the private sector".