Police officers across England and Wales say they are being disadvantaged by paternity leave rules that have failed to keep pace with wider changes to employment law.<\/p>\n
Since April 2026, the Employment Rights Act has given employees a day one entitlement to unpaid paternity leave. Police officers, however, remain subject to a qualifying period. They must have completed 26 weeks’ service by the 15th week before their baby is due to be eligible.<\/p>\n
Officers can take one or two consecutive weeks of leave within 56 days of a birth or adoption, with forces required to pay at least Statutory Paternity Pay. While some forces provide enhanced pay, there is no consistent national policy.<\/p>\n
Police Federation Deputy National Secretary Mel Warnes said the difference between statutory employment rights and police leave entitlements had become “impossible to defend”. She said: “Officers are being held to rules that belong to another era.”<\/p>\n
The position is better in South Yorkshire Police, where policies are “fairly modern and reflective”, Federation Chairman Steve Kent said. However, he added there is still room for improvement.<\/p>\n
“We consistently try to hold the force to account on this. But I think nationally there need to be changes to the regulations to make them more supportive of officers. There needs to be a national drive for regulatory change, rather than the piecemeal approach we have currently.<\/p>\n
“Some forces have policies like ours, while others are more generous. It needs to be standardised nationally in a move that would level everyone up,” he added.<\/p>\n
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