Poor Pay Is Hitting Officers Hard

“It can’t be right that officers are skipping meals, getting overdrawn, and living on credit cards,” the Chair of Hampshire Police Federation has said.

Metfriendly’s Police Family Finance Report, a survey of more than 6,000 serving and retired police officers and support staff, has found that for 56% of respondents the cost-of-living crisis had affected their wellbeing, and 55% felt their financial situation had declined over the past 12 months.

One in five (21%) are skipping meals, and 9% said they or family members they live with have used a food bank in the past 12 months.

Hampshire Police Federation Chair Zoë Wakefield said: “It’s really sad that we are deemed by the Government to be so low in the pecking order that that’s all we deserve to be paid. It can’t be right that officers are skipping meals, getting overdrawn, and living on credit cards.

“The Government says it wants to professionalise the police, they’ve brought in the degree programme, but the pay doesn’t reflect that. If the Government wants a high class of police officer, then they need to offer that pay, because a lot of people aren’t going to apply.”

Zoë added: “The hours that officers are working is ridiculous. It’s a very stressful job and we go to some very traumatic incidents. But the pay doesn’t in any way reflect that.

“Particularly in the south east, student officers aren’t paid enough to get a mortgage. We hear about people who are living with a partner and the relationship breaks down, but they can’t afford to move out.”