Superintendents Join Federation In Quitting Pay Body

THE Police Superintendents’ Association has joined the Police Federation by abandoning the pay review body, in what South Yorkshire Police Federation has called “a united front of outrage”.

Speaking at their annual conference on 14 September, the Police Superintendents’ Association President Paul Griffiths said it was withdrawing from the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB), following this year’s pay freeze. This comes after the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) pulled out in July, calling the body “not fit for purpose”.

South Yorkshire Police Federation Chair Steve Kent said: “There’s going to have to be a reform of police pay. It’s very welcome that the Superintendents’ Association has joined with us on this, because there’s a clearly united front in terms of our outrage and our concerns about it being unfit for purpose.

“The PRRB have painted themselves as having their hands tied in the way that they can reach a decision, so it’s a completely pointless enterprise. There needs to be a new, fair way of looking at pay. That needs to happen sooner rather than later because, as it stands, essentially the Government is deciding from the off what we’re going to get paid.”

Paul Griffiths said at the conference: “Currently, we have no procedural justice when it comes to pay, and police officers are not being heard. It is for this reason that I can announce today that the Police Superintendents’ Association is withdrawing from the PRRB process.”

He continued: “With very few employment rights, it is essential that police officers have fair and transparent processes in place to determine their pay, and that they have a clear voice within this.

“The Government direction on public service pay has overridden these processes, making decisions around pay in advance of the evidence it requests from stakeholders right across the service.”