by Labour’s plans to add more planes are set to fail as more officers are quitting or planning to leave, the Police Federation has warned.
In an exclusive article for The Telegraph, Tiff Lynch, acting chairman of the Federation, which represents frontline officers, said Labour’s plans for an extra 13,000 neighborhood policing officers were “unachievable” due to the attrition rate of an officer who has left the service.
Home Office figures show police officers voluntarily leaving the service have reached a record high of more than 5,000, or 3.4 per cent of the workforce. This is more than double the rate of four years ago.
The confederation’s survey of its 145,000 members found that one in five said they planned to leave the service within the next two years or as soon as possible. That equates to 29,000 officers – 9,000 more than the Tory government’s last increase.
“The Government has made it clear that its current policing priority is to restore our streets, by investing in additional neighborhood policing, to reduce the crimes that are blighting our local communities, with includes anti-social behavior and appalling levels of shoplifting,” said Mr Lynch.
“In her own words, ‘victims are being let down’. The only way to achieve this is through a sustained recruitment and retention programme. But I’m concerned with the current track record in knitting rates, it just doesn’t seem possible.”
She said officers felt the police had been “devalued” by this year’s pay award of 4.75 per cent, when millions of other public sector workers were awarded rises of between 5 and 6 per cent for the current financial year.
This was despite a recommendation from the National Council of Police Chiefs that officers should be given a 6 per cent rise to increase the difference between them and other public sector workers.
“This recommendation was ignored and instead our hard working police officers were given 4.75 per cent, continuing to widen the gap and strengthen the divide between them and the people they work with helping the community ,” Mr. Lynch said.
“There has been a pay cut of almost 20 per cent in real terms since 2010. How can this be fair? What impression does this give to young men and women who are thinking of becoming a police officer? How does this affect serving police and their families? And what message goes to members of the public?”
Ms Lynch cited two cases in the past week where “extraordinary” and “brave” police work carried out every day helped a doctor who killed his mother’s partner by injecting him with toxins, and a PC who rescued an unconscious driver from smoking. a vehicle that burst into flames moments after he discovered it.
The Federation, which represents community officers up to the rank of chief inspector, is demanding a return to collective wage bargaining where it would be able to negotiate directly with employers over pay rather than relying on the Police Remuneration Review Body. established in 2014. .
He has boycotted the review body since 2021 because he claims the Home Office can set the parameters for any proposal, there is no method of negotiation or arbitration and there is no requirement for the Government to accept its proposals.
The union has warned that if the Government rejects its call for collective bargaining it will hold a ballot of its 150,000 members to see if they want to seek the right to take industrial action.
Home Office data showed 9,080 police officers were leaving the service in the year to March 2024, which is 6.2 per cent of the workforce – the second highest number on record. More officers entered than left, resulting in a total of 147,746 officers, an increase of 0.2 per cent on March 2023.
A Home Office spokesman said: “This Government will work with policing to address challenges and ensure officers have the right support, resources and recognition – and to improve standards.
“As part of our mission to deliver safer streets, we will reform neighborhood policing and support forces to rebuild relationships with their local communities.
“This includes delivering thousands of extra neighborhood police, community support officers and special constables, who all play a vital role in building trust in our communities.”
Officers are leaving in droves – the Government’s target for more police is not sustainable
It was earlier this week when I was first asked the question, “so what are your thoughts on Labour’s first 100 days?”, writes Tiff Lynch.
Putting my personal views aside and putting the more than 145,000 police officers I represent at the heart of my thinking, based on our recent meetings with ministers, it seems they are listening to the subjects concerns raised about the ongoing problems in policing. , which we appreciate. But as we pass the 100-day mark, we need to see hot words translated into action.
As an indispensable service in the public sector, policing has been devalued. As we have seen, millions of public sector workers have been awarded pay rises of 5 to 6 per cent for the current financial year – except for the police. Police chiefs proposed a 6 per cent increase in the pay gap between police officers and other public sector workers, but this was ignored and instead our hardworking police officers were given 4.75 per cent, continuing widening the gap and strengthening the divide between them and the Department. people they work alongside helping the community.
They have suffered a pay cut of almost 20 percent in real terms since 2010. How can this be fair? What impression does this give to young men and women who are thinking of becoming a police officer? How does this affect serving police and their families? And what message goes to members of the public?
Morale is at rock bottom
Last week, a Sunderland doctor was convicted of trying to kill his mother’s partner, after injecting him with a toxin that caused a flesh-eating disease during a bogus Covid vaccine appointment. The Crown Prosecution Service praised the police work in the case, which it described as “an outstanding investigation into one of the most complex criminal plots of recent times”.
We’ve also heard about the incredible PC Mark Jones from Cheshire Constabulary, who has been praised after pulling over an irresponsible driver from a smoking vehicle which burst into flames long after the rescue. These are just two examples from one week, but this amazing work and bravery happens every day, 365 days a year across our country.
It is vital that the police are suitably financially rewarded for their efforts to protect and serve the public in all circumstances. Morale is currently at an all-time high among the groups and thousands of police officers tell us in our annual Pay and Morale Survey that they plan to leave the service as soon as possible or within the next two years, and reasons including injustices. pay
Current knitting rates are a concern
We cannot stress it enough; this is not all talk. According to official data, the voluntary resignation rate of police officers in the year ending 31 March 2024, at 3.4 per cent, is the highest rate on record. Home Office statistics show what the police are telling us year after year and the Government can no longer ignore this.
The underlying problem is a broken and unfit wage mechanism that does not allow for binding negotiation and arbitration, only the imposition of a fixed wage award.
In our recent poll, 98 percent of officials supported the federation’s request to return to collective bargaining with binding arbitration on all parties, including the government.
The Government has made it clear that its policing priority is to take back our streets, by investing in extra neighborhood policing, to reduce the crimes that are blighting our local communities, including anti-social behavior and shocking levels of shopping. In their own words, “victims are being let down”.
The only way to achieve this is through a sustained recruitment and retention programme. But I worry about the current track record in knitting rates, it seems unattainable.
We have offered the Government to work with us to reverse this damage, to stop record crime statistics and police officers leaving in droves, by promising to restore a pay mechanism that has not any faults and injustices therein.
Tiff Lynch is the acting chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales
