"We keep hearing positive words & platitudes from the Government about policing, but it's time for them to put that into action with a proper pay rise."
That's the message from Gary Thwaite, Chief Executive of the Civil Nuclear Police Federation, as officers wait to hear what their 2022/23 pay deal will be - last year they got 0%. He said that officers are struggling to make ends meet as inflation rises to a 40-year high and the cost-of-living crisis worsens.
Gary said: "We appreciate that many other members of the public are struggling with rising prices too, and that it's not just police officers. But I can only speak for policing and officers have had a real-terms 20% pay cut since 2010.
"Our members are coming to us on a weekly basis telling us they are struggling financially. That's not right.
"It's not acceptable that police officers are having to use food vouchers, as we've seen happening at Gloucestershire Police and other forces.
"Rising fuel prices heavily affect our members, as many of them have to drive long distances to work at remote sites. The majority of our members are unable to work from home".
"We keep hearing positive words from the Government about policing, but it's time for them to put that into action with a proper pay rise. Our members are struggling financially, officers are being undervalued across the board - and it's not just this year, it's the past 10 years."
Gary added: "It's important to note that we, along with other non-Home Office Federations, aren't part of the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB), but historically we've always followed its recommendations. It's important to maintain parity with the other forces in England and Wales from a strength-in-numbers perspective."
Last year the Police Federation of England withdrew from the PRRB after its recommendations were disregarded by the Government, and it is now calling for a truly independent pay mechanism. Gary said he lent his solidarity to the Scottish Police Federation, who are to make a formal 'withdrawal of goodwill' in protest at a "derisory" pay offer. This means that Police Scotland officers will not start their shifts early and will finish their tours of duty at rostered times, unless expressly directed or authorised to the contrary.
He said: "We can't strike, like the unions are doing. We have very limited industrial rights, but the Government shouldn't take advantage of that by ignoring our calls for a reasonable pay award."
Gary said his call to the Government was: "Pay people properly, as this is also about recruitment and retention. You won't attract the best people to policing if the pay is this low and they can't afford to live on it. "We should find out how much this Government value our police in late July..."