The \u2018P-Factor\u2019, which represents the dangers police officers face and is often cited as a reason officers should be paid more, must not be used to \u201cdivide and conquer\u201d, South Yorkshire Police Federation has said.<\/p>\n
Last month, the PFEW Pay and Morale Survey revealed that 79% of South Yorkshire Police officers were \u201cdissatisfied\u201d or \u201cvery dissatisfied\u201d with their overall remuneration. Subsequently the Social Market Foundation (SMF) published a blog<\/a> saying that there would be a continued decrease in officers\u2019 spending power in the years ahead.<\/p>\n The SMF said there was a strong argument for increasing transparency around the P-Factor \u2013\u00a0which represents the unique obligations and responsibilities of officers, which mean they often find themselves exposed to an increased level of harm \u2013 and how it could be accounted for in police pay.<\/p>\n But Steve Kent, Chair of South Yorkshire Police Federation, said the P-Factor needed to be approached carefully, as different officers faced different kinds of challenges.<\/p>\n Steve said: \u201cThe P-Factor needs to be recognised, but you\u2019ve got to be very careful with it because most police officers have some element of P-Factor, whether that\u2019s within the nature of their work or the restrictions on their personal life. So you mustn\u2019t pitch officers against each other.<\/p>\n \u201cA response officer may have more weekly leave days cancelled, and face danger every day. But another officer will be protecting vulnerable people or dealing with video evidence where they\u2019re exposed to horrific scenes, and that can take a catastrophic toll on them.<\/p>\n \u201cSo we\u2019ve got to be careful that this isn\u2019t another example of divide and conquer. Rather than messing about with P-Factors, why not make sure that all officers are properly paid \u2013 a significant pay rise to bring us in line with the rest of the G7 and policing across the world. Then all police officers who have to use their warranted powers will be paid appropriately.\u201d<\/p>\n