THE police pay award of \u00a31,900 for all officers is not enough to deal with the \u201cdecimation\u201d of officers\u2019 pay, according to South Yorkshire Police Federation.<\/p>\n
Chair Steve Kent said the announcement needed to be followed up with a structured plan for police pay in the coming years.<\/p>\n
The rise equates to an 8.8% increase for the lowest paid officers \u2013 and is equivalent to a 5% overall pay award when all ranks and pay scales are taken into account. The rise takes effect from 1 September.<\/p>\n
The Home Office said it had accepted the recommendations of the Police Remuneration Review Body in full, saying it reflects \u201cthe vital role police officers have on the frontline making our streets safer\u201d.<\/p>\n
Steve (pictured) said: \u201cThis pay award is better than feared following years of being largely ignored by the Government in term of fair pay.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, it\u2019s still not enough to deal with the decimation to officers\u2019 pay and needs to be followed up by a structured plan of pay awards in the coming years to redress the balance. It doesn\u2019t even get close to meeting inflation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am encouraged that our younger-in-service colleagues will benefit from this rise as their pay in early years of service is unsustainable at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
The announcement comes after the Police Federation of England and Wales, and the Superintendents\u2019 Association, both withdrew their engagement from the PRRB, saying it was not fit for purpose.<\/p>\n
Steve added: \u201cThe Government needs to follow this up with a fair and binding system of pay reviews so that the Federation can re-engage and ensure that pay is addressed properly going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Government also announced it has raised the starting salary for officers joining on the Degree Apprentice programme to \u00a323,556 \u2013 also from 1 September.<\/p>\n
The Dog Handlers\u2019 Allowance will also be increased by 5%.<\/p>\n
Home Secretary Priti Patel said: \u201cIt is right that we recognise the extraordinary work of our officers who day in, day out, work tirelessly to keep our streets, communities and country safe.\u201d<\/p>\n