Cost of living crisis set to leave young officers struggling to pay bills

YOUNGER-IN-SERVICE officers are likely to struggle to pay their bills as the cost-of-living crisis bites and energy costs go through the roof, the Chair Hampshire Police Federation has warned. 

Zoë Wakefield has called on officers to contact their supervisors and the Federation if they find they are unable to pay the bills. 

Energy bills for a typical household will rise to £3,549 a year on 1 October, when a new price cap is introduced. And lower-paid officers are likely to struggle. 

Zoë said: “I don’t know how some officers on the lower wages are going to manage, particularly those that have families. There are those of us who are supervisors, who have got a fair bit of service that are worried about how we’re going to manage. So I think it’s going to be really difficult for younger-in-service officers.”

The bills will hit especially hard for those officers who are still working from home, she added. 

“There is a lot of guidance that the Federation can put out to help these officers, so I would urge anyone that is worried to get in touch. There’s lots of companies that we can put you in touch with, that can have a look at your finances and see if there’s other places where you can make savings.”

Steve Hartshorn, Chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, added: “Confirmation that the energy price cap will increase again in October is yet another stark reminder of the huge financial pressures many of our members and their families are under.

“We’re now in the appalling situation where we are hearing about officers having to resort to food vouchers to feed their families, with one in seven struggling to cover their monthly essentials. This is only set to get worse as inflation increases and the cost-of-living crisis deepens, further exacerbating the significant reduction in police pay in real terms since 2010. Further action to support those struggling must now be an urgent priority for ministers.”