Pay Deal Will Make A Difference To Officers… But It’s Not Enough

The 7% police pay deal will make a difference but it is still a real-terms pay cut, especially at a time when officers are missing meals to save money, Hampshire Police Federation has said.

The Government announced last month that officers of all ranks will receive a 7% pay rise from 1 September, but pay is still not keeping up with inflation. Meanwhile a new survey from Metfriendly found that officers’ financial concerns had increased over the past six months and that over a quarter said that they missed meals – a key indicator of household poverty.

Hampshire Police Federation Chair Zoë Wakefield said: “Before, even when inflation’s been at 3%, we’ve got nothing or we’ve got a way below inflation pay rise, so I think people are pleasantly surprised that even though this is technically a pay cut, it’s actually a significant jump in our wages.

“It will make a huge difference, particularly for younger-in-service officers on the lowest wages. But it is still a pay cut and a lot of people will still struggle.

“I’ve been talking to some officers who are coping day to day, but they’re in hundreds of pounds of debt to their gas and electricity supplier. They’re paying the minimum that they can possibly pay, but at some point that’s going to catch up with them.

“Meanwhile food prices are still rising, people are still struggling with the general cost of living, and police pay still isn’t enough.”

It would also help Hampshire officers if the Southeast Allowance went up in line with inflation, Zoë added.

She said: “The Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) didn’t increase the Southeast Allowance, even though it increased the London weighting. The Southeast Allowance has stayed at the same amount, which means that it’s actually less in real-terms than last year.

“We are still pushing with our Chief Constable and our Police and Crime Commissioner to get Hampshire up to the maximum of £2,000, but really PRRB should be increasing that £2,000 every year, in line with the other increases.”